What Was British European Airways' Route Network Like In 1950?

Quick Links A closer look at the specific flights made to European destinations The airline operated a handful of other services to Southern Europe The airline operated dozens of services within the British Isles

BEA was a airline that existed between 1946 and 1974 when the airline merged with BOAC to create the present British Airways which is the flag carrier of United Kingdom. At first, the carrier was a subdivision of BOAC from 1st January 1946 but it became a completely independent airline, a crown corporation on the 1st of August 1946. British European Airways offered services to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East as well as domestic flights within the United Kingdom.

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The larger BOAC had mainly long-haul flights across the Atlantic and to other parts of Africa and Asia, with the exception of a long-stopping itinerary that passengers could take to Australia. BEA started its operations from Croydon and Northolt Airports in London with Douglas DC-3s and the airline operated the first turbine-powered commercial flight in 1950 with the Vickers Viscount 630. The airline also centralized its operations at London Heathrow Airport that year.

Photo: Mike Freer | Wikimedia Commons

BEA received its first jet aircraft in 1960 when it took the British-built de Havilland Comet 4B. Thus, in 1950, BEA was one of the biggest and the most significant airlines of Europe and it flew to all the countries of the continent without using jet aircraft. It was the world’s fifth largest airline during this decade and carried its millionth passenger in 1952. In this article, we will further explore BOAC’s route network in 1950, using original route maps the airline issued to customers during that year.

British Airways IATA/ICAO Code BA/BAW Airline Type Full Service Carrier Hub(s) London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport Year Founded 1974 Alliance oneworld Airline Group IAG CEO Sean Doyle Region Europe Country United Kingdom Loyalty Program British Airways Executive Club Expand A large-scale overview of the carrier’s operations in 1950

First of all, it is important to mention that during this period British European Airways was responsible for the connection of Britain with the countries of Europe with which she was associated. During this period the Cold War was in progress and the Soviet sphere of influence extended over most of the continent. The airline did not serve any destinations behind the Iron Curtain, something which might seem rather out of place today.

Photo: RuthAS | Wikimedia Commons

The airline flew no further east than Vienna in the heart of Europe, no further east than Stockholm in the north, and only one route in the south of Europe to Istanbul after making stopovers in Greece, Italy, and France. Although people know well that there was no air service between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union during this period, it is also important to note that many places under their influence went underserved as well.

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BEA did not serve Finland and the Baltic States, nor did it serve Poland, the modern-day Czech Republic, Slovenia, the states of the Balkans, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Therefore, while the British flag carrier had an extensive presence in Western and Central Europe, it was mostly absent from Eastern Europe and it would very much remain that way until the fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The other important thing to remember is that the airline’s fleet during this period comprised of the following aircraft:

Airspeed AS 57 Ambassador de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide Douglas C-47 Skytrain Vickers Viking

All these planes are not very large and thus most of the flights made by BEA during this period to destinations that were not London centered would have been stop over flights. This included some domestic routes as well, especially those which served remote parts of Scotland. Furthermore, British European Airways mainly provided services to business travelers, thus the majority of its flights connected the continent’s main and the most significant business centres.

Photo: Arpingstone | Wikimedia Commons

One last note is that the route network of British European was based primarily at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and all of the airline’s Europe bound services were operating from this facility. The airline did operate some domestic services from Croydon Airport, a commercial facility that is no longer in operation. Now that we have the basics down, let’s dive into the specific services that the airline operated during this period.

London Heathrow Airport IATA/ICAO Code LHR-EGLL Country United Kingdom CEO John Holland-Kaye Terminals Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5 A deeper look at the individual flights operated to European destinations

BEA had a vast European network that embraced dozens of destinations. First, the company offered services to the countries of the Nordic states and had a non-stop service between London and Oslo as well as a service between London and Stockholm with a stop in Copenhagen. Moving south into continental Europe, the carrier also operated a stopping service from London to Berlin which had stop overs at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Hamburg. The airline also operated a route from Hanover to West Berlin, the part of the city which was not under communist control.

Photo: RuthAS | Wikimedia Commons

Other than that, the airline also operated two other routes to Berlin, which were stopover services in Düsseldorf and Cologne respectively. The airline also had a wide network in Germany; it offered flights to Munich via Düsseldorf and also direct flights to Frankfurt, a city which the airline referred to as Frankfurt On-Main. Even in the 1950s, this city’s economic importance was still on the rise. Other flights within Northern Europe included nonstop services to Brussels, and, a bit further to the south, the airline operated flights to Vienna via a stopover in Zurich, one of two destinations in Switzerland on the airline’s route map. The airline also operated nonstop from London to Geneva.

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The airline had the most frequent service to France and was offering services to more destinations than in any other European country with the exception of the United Kingdom. The carrier operated nonstop to Paris not only from London but also from Birmingham. The carrier operated direct services to several destinations across the English Channel including Le Touquet, Deauville and Dinard, all directly and also through stop over in the Channel Islands. The airline also operated nonstop services to Bordeaux and Nice.

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Posts 2 The airline operated a handful of other services to Southern Europe

The airline’s flights to Spain served two different cities. Direct flights were operated from London to Barcelona, but the carrier did not fly to Madrid without a stop over. Instead, it operated a flight from London to Gibraltar with a stop over in Bordeaux and Madrid. The airline also operated nonstop from London to Milan and operated an extremely long stopping service to Istanbul which only stopped to refuel in Nice, Rome and Athens before landing in the most important city of Turkey.

Photo: Mark Harkin | Wikimedia Commons

The airline also operated stopping services from Rome to Tripoli, Benghazi and Cairo with a stop over in Catania in Sicily and Malta. Passengers flying to Athens and Gibraltar on BEA flights could make connection to airline partner’s flight to other destinations in the Middle East and North Africa. At the time, the airline referred to its partners as “Associated Companies.”

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Posts 2 The airline operated dozens of services within the British Isles

The last main part of the airline route network that needs to be discussed is the extensive network of the airline within the British Isles. The airline also served the Channel Islands, Belfast (via a stopover at the Isle of Man) from London. The airline also served Manchester and Birmingham (a service which continued to Liverpool besides the nonstop services to Edinburgh and Glasgow. From these points the airline operated many more services within the United Kingdom.

Photo: RuthAS | Wikimedia Commons

The airline’s extensive route network in Scotland included flights to the Inner and Outer Hebrides as well as flights to Inverness, Aberdeen, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. Another interesting service that the carrier operated was a nonstop flight between Penzance in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which are located off the south west coast of Land’s End the most south westerly point of Great Britain. The British European Airways domestic network was extremely complex in the 1950s and also involved a large portion of international routes being operated by partner airline Aer Lingus.