Brymon Airways
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| Founded | 26 January 1970 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Plymouth Airport Newcastle Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Bristol Airport Newcastle Airport Plymouth Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 48 (Total) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Plymouth, England | ||||||
| Key people | Chris Amon Bill Bryce | ||||||
Brymon Airways is a former British airline which was co-founded in 1972 by journalist Bill Bryce and racing driver Chris Amon.
History
The company was incorporated on 26 January 1970 as Brymon Aviation Limited which operated as Brymon Airways.
Its name derived from its creator's surnames: Bryce and Amon. It quickly built up a network of routes from its bases at Plymouth and Newquay, to various UK airports, including The Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly, and London (Heathrow and Gatwick), and some foreign destinations such as France.
In 1981 the airline introduced the de Havilland Canada Dash 7 on to the UK airline scene. Four aircraft were acquired, two used in Aberdeen on contract for a consortium lead by Chevron Oil, and two out of Plymouth including the first every scheduled services to Heathrow.
In June 1983 a Brymon Dash 7 flew into Herons Quay in the London Docklands paving the way for London City Airport. A further test flight to place the following year as part of the Public Enquiry. Brymon was the lead airline in the quest for the airport and made the first ever landing in 1997. Together with its partner Air France Brymon introduced the airport's first services in November 1987.
Chris Amon was never involved in the day to day running of the airline and Bill Bryce resigned towards the end of 1984 with British Airways acquiring a large minority shareholding and appointing Charles Stuart as chief executive and the then Sir Colin Marshall as chairman.
In October 1992, Brymon Airways merged with Birmingham European Airways, to form Brymon European Airways. This was bought jointly by British Airways and Maersk Air, in 1993. British Airways acquired Brymon Airways, whilst Maersk Air bought the Birmingham European Airways section. Maersk Air renamed Birmingham European Airways to Maersk Air UK, but British Airways allowed Brymon to keep its name. Having said this, Brymon's Aircraft were repainted in British Airways Express colours. Around this time they initiated a service from Newcastle to Paris.
On 30 July 1993 the company was renamed Brymon Airways Limited to reflect the operating name.
In 1991 Brymon expanded even further, establishing a hub at Bristol, with services to Paris, Cork, The Channel Islands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Plymouth, and a service to Newcastle and Aberdeen. Further expansion occurred in 1998, when it took over British Airways Regional services from Aberdeen to Birmingham and Manchester. They also introduced routes from Manchester to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In 1999 routes were introduced from Newcastle to Belfast and Copenhagen, and from Aberdeen to Oslo.
On 28 March 2002 the airline was merged with British Regional Airlines and was renamed British Airways Citiexpress Limited operating as British Airways Citiexpress. On 1 February 2006 the airline was renamed BA Connect Limited operating as BA Connect
Fleet
Brymon Airways fleet consisted of:
| Aircraft | Total | On Order | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAC 1-11 | 5 | ||
| DHC-6 Twin Otter | 7 | ||
| DHC-7 Dash 7 | 12 | ||
| Bombardier Dash 8 | 14 | Operated on behalf of British Airways | |
| Embraer ERJ 145 | 10 | Operated on behalf of British Airways |