British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passing of the Civil Aviation Act 1946, European and South American services passed to two further state-owned airlines, British European Airways (BEA) and

British South American Airways British South American Airways (BSAA) was a state-run airline of the United Kingdom in the mid-late 1940s responsible for services to the Caribbean and South America. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines it was renamed before serv ...

(BSAA). BOAC absorbed BSAA in 1949, but BEA continued to operate British domestic and European routes for the next quarter century. A 1971

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

merged BOAC and BEA, effective 31 March 1974, forming today's

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

. For most of its history its main rival was

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

History

War years

On 24 November 1939, BOAC was created by Act of Parliament to become the British state airline, formed from the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. The companies had been operating together since war was declared on 3 September 1939, when their operations were evacuated from the London area to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. On 1 April 1940, BOAC started operations as a single company. Following the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

(22 June 1940), BOAC aircraft kept wartime Britain connected with its colonies and the allied world, often under enemy fire, and initially with desperate shortages of long-range aircraft. During the war, the airline was sometimes loosely referred to as 'British Airways', and aircraft and equipment were marked with combinations of that title and/or the Speedbird symbol and/or the Union Flag. BOAC Boeing Model 314A Clipper on Lagos Lagoon

BOAC Boeing Model 314A Clipper on Lagos Lagoon

BOAC inherited Imperial Airways'

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

services to British colonies in Africa and Asia, but with the wartime loss of the route over

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

these were replaced by the expatriate ' Horseshoe Route', with Cairo as a hub, and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

as end destinations. Linking Britain to the Horseshoe Route taxed the resources of BOAC. Although

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

denied access,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

welcomed BOAC's civilian aircraft at

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. However, the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

route from Lisbon or

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

to Egypt via

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

risked enemy attack, so the long West Africa route had to be employed (over-water via Lisbon, Banjul, Bathurst, Freetown, Lagos), then by landplane to Khartoum on the Horseshoe Route. The British Empire, Empire routes had contained landplane sectors, but the Armstrong Whitworth Ensign and de Havilland Albatross ordered to replace the Handley Page HP.42 'Heracles' biplanes had proved disappointing, leaving the Short Empire flying boats as the backbone of the wartime fleet. (Only a handful of these had long range tanks but many were eventually upgraded with larger tankage and operated at overload weights.) The Empire flying-boats were at their limit on the 1,900-mile Lisbon-Bathurst sector. Refuelling at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands was permitted by Spain for some Empire flying-boat flights in 1940 and 1941. In 1941 longer range Consolidated PBY Catalina, Consolidated Catalinas, Boeing 314As (and later converted Short Sunderlands) were introduced to guarantee non-stop Lisbon to Bathurst sectors (thus eliminating the need to refuel at Las Palmas). BOAC's flying-boat base for Britain was shifted from Southampton to Poole, Dorset, but many flights used Foynes in Éire (Ireland), reached by shuttle flight from Whitchurch. Use of Foynes reduced the chance of enemy interception or friendly fire incidents over the English Channel. BOAC had large bases at

, Asmara, Alexandria and a pilots' school at Soroti, Uganda. Experimental flights had been made across the North Atlantic pre-war by Imperial Airways Empire flying-boats with improved fuel capacity, some using in flight refuelling, culminating in a series of mail/courier flights made by BOAC's ''Clare'' and ''Clyde'' to La Guardia in camouflage during the Battle of Britain. These were BOAC's first New York services. In 1941, BOAC was tasked with operating a 'Return Ferry Service' from Prestwick to Montreal to reposition RAF Ferry Command, ferry pilots who had flown American-built bombers from Canada, and they were provided with RAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Consolidated Liberators with a very basic passenger conversion. This was the first sustained North Atlantic landplane service. By September 1944 BOAC had made 1,000 transatlantic crossings. In late 1942, the new hard-surface airport at Lisbon permitted the use of civil registered Liberators to North and West Africa and Egypt. Arguably, BOAC's most famous wartime route was the 'Ball-bearing Run' from Leuchars Station, Leuchars to Stockholm (Stockholm Bromma Airport, Bromma) in Neutral country, neutral Sweden. Initially flown with Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra, Lockheed 14s and Lockheed Hudson transports, the unsuitable Armstrong Whitworth Whitley "civilianised" bombers were also used between 9 August and 24 October 1942 ("Civilianised" meant that all the armaments and unnecessary guns and turrets had been removed, a legal requirement for operating a commercial civilian service to a neutral country). The much faster civilian registered de Havilland Mosquitoes were introduced by BOAC in 1943. The significance of the ball-bearings is debatable, but these night flights were an important diplomatic gesture of support for neutral Sweden which had two DC-3s shot down on its own service to Britain. Other types used to Sweden included Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar, Lockheed Lodestars, Consolidated Liberators, and the sole Curtiss C-46, Curtiss CW-20 (C-46 prototype) which BOAC had purchased; these types had more payload, and some had the range to avoid the German-controlled Skagerrak direct route. Between 1939 and 1945 6,000 passengers were transported by BOAC between Stockholm and Great Britain.

Early post-war operations

At the end of the war, BOAC's fleet consisted of Lockheed Lodestars, lend-lease Douglas DC-3s, Liberators, converted Sunderlands, and the first Avro Lancastrians, Avro Yorks, and Handley Page Halifax, Handley Page Haltons. The Short Empire, Short S.26 and Boeing 314A flying boats, plus the AW Ensigns, were due to be withdrawn. The corporation's aircraft, bases and personnel were scattered around the world, and it took a decade to reorganise it into an efficient unit at Heathrow Airport, Heathrow. In 1943, the Brabazon Committee had laid down a set of civil aircraft transport types for the British aircraft industry to produce, but these were to be several years in coming, and particularly in the case of the tailwheel Avro Tudor, not what BOAC wanted. Since 1941, the advanced pressurised Lockheed Constellation had been under development, and in 1946 BOAC was permitted to use dollars to purchase an initial fleet of five for the prestigious North Atlantic route (there were no equivalent British types available). Throughout the whole of BOAC's existence, the argument over buying American or (often delayed) British products continued, and Parliament, the press, British manufacturers and the unions accused BOAC management of only wanting American aircraft. Whilst the major world airlines abandoned flying-boats at the end of WWII, BOAC continued with theirs until 1950, and even introduced the new Short Solent on the leisurely Nile route to South Africa. In 1948, the unpressurised Yorks were still operating passenger services as far afield as Nairobi (Kenya), Accra (Gold Coast, later Ghana), Delhi and Calcutta (India), and the type continued to operate freight schedules until late 1957. After its first six Lockheed 049 Constellations, BOAC had to use some ingenuity to increase its Constellation fleet. In 1947, Aerlínte Éireann in Republic of Ireland, Ireland bought five new Lockheed 749 Constellations, and prepared to launch a transatlantic service with assistance and crew-training from Captains O. P. Jones and J. C. Kelly-Rogers of BOAC. The project was abandoned in February 1948, and BOAC were able to buy the almost new 749s without dollar expenditure four months later. This enabled BOAC to serve Australia with Constellations from 1949. A total of 25 Constellations passed through the BOAC fleet, including 12 749As obtained from Capital Airlines in the mid-1950s, with BOAC's older 049s in part exchange. BOAC was also permitted to spend dollars on six new Boeing 377 Stratocruisers for its key transatlantic routes from October 1949, offering a double-deck non-stop eastbound service from New York City to London Airport (later Heathrow). However, because of the prevailing westerly winds, the westbound flights needed re-fuelling at Shannon and Gander before reaching New York. Another four Stratocruisers were taken over from a frustrated SAS order and seven were bought secondhand in the mid-1950s. The Handley Page Hermes and Canadair North Star, Canadair DC-4M ''Argonaut'' joined the BOAC fleet between 1949 and 1950, replacing the last of the non-pressurised types on passenger services. When service entry of the Bristol Britannia was delayed in late 1956, BOAC was permitted to purchase ten new Douglas DC-7Cs. These long-range aircraft enabled BOAC to operate non-stop westbound flights from London and Manchester to New York and other US East Coast destinations, in competition with DC-7Cs of

and Lockheed Super Constellations of Trans World Airlines (TWA). This was the first purchase of aircraft direct from the Douglas Aircraft Company in BOAC's history.

Introduction of jets

In May 1952 BOAC was the first airline to introduce a passenger jet into airline service. This was the de Havilland Comet which flew via Nairobi to Johannesburg and via the Far East to Tokyo. All Comet 1 aircraft were grounded in April 1954 after four Comets crashed, the second last being a BOAC aircraft at altitude. Examination of the wreckage recovered from the Mediterranean sea-bed and observation of a sample fuselage in a pressurisation test-tank at Farnborough revealed that the repeated pressurisation / depressurisation cycles of airline operation could cause fatigue cracks in the thin aluminium alloy skin of the Comet leading to the skins ripping away explosively at altitude and disintegration of the aircraft. Later jet airliners including the revised Comet 4 were designed to be fail-safe: in the event of, for example, a skin-failure due to cracking the damage would be localised and not catastrophic. In October 1958 BOAC operated the first transatlantic jet service with the larger and longer-range Comet 4. In the 1950s turbine powered airliners were developing rapidly, and the Comet and the seriously delayed Bristol Britannia were soon rendered obsolescent by the flight of the Swept wing, swept-wing Boeing 367-80, Boeing 367–80 (707 prototype) in 1954. In 1953 Vickers had started building the swept wing Vickers V-1000, VC-7/V-1000 with Rolls-Royce Conway turbofan engines, but BOAC short-sightedly decided the Britannia and Comet 4 would be adequate for its purposes, and when the military version of the V-1000 was cancelled in 1955 the 75% complete prototype was scrapped. In October 1956 BOAC ordered 15 Boeing 707s with Conway engines (briefly the most economical commercial engine option). They entered service in 1960. (The British airworthiness authorities insisted on tail-fin modifications which Boeing made available to all 707 users.) Sir Giles Guthrie, who took charge of BOAC in 1964, preferred Boeing aircraft for economic reasons, and indeed BOAC began turning a profit in the late 1960s. After a row in Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament the government instructed BOAC to purchase 17 Vickers VC10 aircraft from a 30-aircraft order which Guthrie had cancelled. The Standard VC10 had higher operating costs than the 707, largely due to BOAC's requirement at the design stage for the aircraft to have excellent hot and high performance for Commonwealth (African/Asian) routes, but the larger Super VC10 was a success with American passengers on the North Atlantic and was profitable. BOAC Boeing 747-136 landing at Heathrow

The next major order of Boeing aircraft was for 11 Boeing 747, Boeing 747-100s. On 22 April 1970 BOAC received its first 747, but the aircraft did not enter commercial service until 14 April 1971 due to BOAC's inability to settle crewing and pay rates with the British Air Line Pilots Association, British Air Line Pilots' Association. BOAC's successor British Airways later became the largest Boeing customer outside North America.

Merger with BEA

The first attempt at a merger of BOAC with BEA arose in 1953 out of inconclusive attempts between the two airlines to negotiate air rights through the British colony of Cyprus. The chairman of BOAC, Miles Thomas, was in favour of the idea as a potential solution to a disagreement between the two airlines as to which should serve the increasingly important oil regions of the Middle East, and he had backing for his proposal from the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, Rab Butler. However, opposition from the Treasury blocked the idea, and an agreement was reached instead to allow BEA to serve Ankara in Turkey, and in return to leave all routes east and south of Cyprus to BOAC. Paradoxically, through its effective control of Cyprus Airways (1947–2015), Cyprus Airways, BEA was able to continue to serve destinations ceded to BOAC, including Beirut and Cairo by using Cyprus Airways as its proxy. However, it was only following the recommendations of the 1969 Edwards Report that a new British Airways Board, combining BEA and BOAC, was constituted on 1 April 1972. This event coincided with the establishment of the Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom), Civil Aviation Authority, the UK's new, unified regulator for the air transport industry. BOAC would have become one of the first operators of the Concorde, had it not merged to become British Airways. BA's Concordes carried registrations of Concorde aircraft histories#British production aircraft, G-BOAA to G-BOAG. The first Concorde delivered to British Airways was registered G-BOAC.

Other BOAC companies

BOAC Associated Companies

BOAC held shareholdings in a number of other airlines operating in several parts of the British Commonwealth through a subsidiary, BOAC Associated Companies. These included Aden Airways, Bahamas Airways, Fiji Airways, Ghana Airways, Gulf Aviation and Nigeria Airways. In the late 1950s BOAC Associated Companies was declared to have holdings in eighteen companies.

BOAC-Cunard Ltd

In 1962, BOAC and Cunard Line, Cunard formed BOAC-Cunard Ltd to operate scheduled services to North America, the Caribbean and South America. BOAC provided 70% of the new company's capital and eight Boeing 707s. The independent British Eagle#The Cunard era, Cunard Eagle Airways, of which Cunard held a 60% shareholding, provided two more 707s. BOAC-Cunard aircraft lease, leased any spare capacity to BOAC which could use it to supplement the main BOAC fleet at peak demand, and in a reciprocal arrangement BOAC would provide capacity to BOAC-Cunard on some operations when it had a shortfall. The effect of this arrangement was to remove competition on western routes. The operation was dissolved in 1966.

Destinations

The following is an incomplete list of destinations historically served by BOAC: *Abadan, Iran, Abadan – Abadan International Airport *Aberdeen – Aberdeen Airport *Abu Dhabi – Al Bateen Executive Airport *Accra – Kotoka International Airport *Adelaide – Adelaide Airport *Aden – Aden International Airport *Alexandria – Alexandria International Airport (Egypt), Alexandria International Airport *Amman – Amman Civil Airport *Amsterdam – Schiphol Airport *Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport *St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua – Coolidge International Airport *Arak, Iran, Arak – Arak Airport *Asmara – Yohannes IV International Airport *Auckland – Auckland Airport *Baghdad – Baghdad International Airport *Bahrain – Bahrain International Airport *Bandar Lengeh – Bandar Lengeh Airport *Bangkok – Don Mueang International Airport *Banjul – Banjul International Airport *Barcelona – Barcelona–El Prat Airport *Basra – Basra International Airport *Beirut – Beirut International Airport *Belfast – Belfast International Airport *Bermuda – Bermuda International Airport *Birmingham – Birmingham Airport *Blantyre – Chileka International Airport *Bogota – El Dorado International Airport *Bombay – Sahar International Airport *Bordeaux – Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport *Boston – Logan International Airport *Bowen, Queensland, Bowen – Bowen Airport *Bridgetown – Seawell Airport *Brisbane – Brisbane Airport *Buenos Aires – Ezeiza International Airport *Bushehr – Bushehr Airport *

– Payne Airfield *Kolkata, Calcutta – Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Dum Dum Airport *Caracas – Simón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela), Simón Bolívar International Airport *Casablanca – Mohammed V International Airport *Chicago – Chicago O'Hare International Airport *Chittagong - Chittagong Airport *Colombo – Ratmalana Airport *Colombo – Bandaranaike International Airport *Dacca – Tejgaon Airport *Dakar – Dakar-Yoff International Airport *Damascus – Damascus International Airport *Dar es Salaam – Dar es Salaam International Airport *Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin – Darwin International Airport *Delhi – Safdarjung Airport *Denver – Stapleton International Airport *Detroit – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport *Dhahran – Dhahran International Airport *Doha – Doha International Airport *Dubai – Dubai International Airport *Dublin – Dublin Airport *

– Louis Botha Airport *Düsseldorf – Düsseldorf Airport *Edinburgh – Edinburgh Airport *Entebbe – Entebbe International Airport *Frankfurt – Frankfurt am Main Airport *Freeport, Bahamas, Freeport – Grand Bahama International Airport *Freetown – Lungi International Airport, Freetown-Lungi International Airport *Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander – Gander International Airport *Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown – Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri International Airport *Glasgow – Glasgow Prestwick Airport *British Hong Kong, Hong Kong – Kai Tak Airport *Honolulu – John Rodgers Airport *Istanbul – Istanbul Atatürk Airport *Jakarta – Halim Perdanakusuma Airport *Jeddah – Kandara Airport *Johannesburg – Jan Smuts International Airport *Kallang – Kallang Airport *Kampala – Entebbe International Airport *Kano (city), Kano – Aminu Kano International Airport *Karachi – Jinnah International Airport *Khartoum – Khartoum International Airport *Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston – Palisadoes Airport *Kuala Lumpur – Subang Airport *Kuwait – Kuwait International Airport *Lagos – Lagos International Airport *Las Palmas – Gando Airport *Lima – Jorge Chávez International Airport *

– Portela International Airport *Livingstone, Zambia, Livingstone – Livingstone Airport *London – Heathrow Airport *Los Angeles – Los Angeles International Airport *Lusaka – Lusaka International Airport *Luxor – Luxor International Airport *Madrid – Madrid–Barajas Airport *

– Malta International Airport *Manchester – Manchester Airport, Manchester Ringway International Airport *Manila - Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila International Airport *Marseille – Marseille Provence Airport *Mauritius – Plaisance Airport *Melbourne – Essendon Airport *Mexico City – Benito Juárez International Airport *Miami – Miami International Airport *Montego Bay – Montego Bay International Airport *Montevideo – Carrasco International Airport *Montreal – Montréal–Dorval International Airport *Moscow – Moscow Vnukovo Airport *Nadi, Fiji, Nadi – Nadi International Airport *Nairobi – Nairobi International Airport *Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau – Nassau International Airport *New York City – Idlewild International Airport *Ndola – Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport (old), Ndola Airport *Nicosia – Nicosia International Airport *Nouadhibou – Nouadhibou International Airport *Osaka – Osaka International Airport *Perth – Perth Airport *Philadelphia – Philadelphia International Airport *Portland, Oregon, Portland - Portland International Airport *Port of Spain – Piarco International Airport *Prague – Prague Ruzyne Airport *Rangoon – Yangon International Airport, Rangoon International Airport *Recife – Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport *Renfrew - Renfrew Airport *Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport *Rome – Rome Ciampino Airport *Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia – Hewanorra International Airport *Harare, Salisbury – Harare International Airport, Salisbury Airport *San Francisco – San Francisco International Airport *Santiago – Los Cerrillos Airport *São Paulo – Congonhas-São Paulo Airport *Seattle – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport *Seoul – Gimpo International Airport *Mahé, Seychelles, Seychelles – Seychelles International Airport *Shanghai – Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport *Shannon, Ireland, Shannon – Shannon Airport *Singapore – Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore International Airport *Southampton – Southampton Airport *Stockholm – Stockholm Bromma Airport *Surabaya – Juanda International Airport *

– Sydney Airport *Tehran – Tehran Mehrabad International Airport *Tel Aviv – Ben Gurion Airport *Tokyo – Haneda International Airport *Toronto – Toronto International Airport *Trinidad – Piarco International Airport *Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli – Tripoli Idris International Airport *Vancouver – Vancouver International Airport *Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls – Victoria Falls Airport *Vienna – Vienna International Airport *Washington, D.C., Washington – Dulles International Airport *Zurich – Zurich-Kloten Airport

Fleet

During the time of the airline's existence, BOAC operated these aircraft: file:BOAC Stratocruiser at Manchester 1954.jpg, BOAC Boeing Stratocruiser G-AKGJ "RMA Cambria" at Manchester in June 1954 en route to New York file:Bristol 175 Britannia 312 G-AOVP BA RWY 15.12.59 edited-2.jpg, BOAC Britannia 312 landing at Manchester on a transatlantic flight in 1959 file:london heathrow airport in 1965 arp.jpg, London Heathrow Airport in 1965. Nearest the camera are two BOAC aircraft – a Vickers VC10 (with the high tail) and a Boeing 707. * Concorde, Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde (test flown by BOAC, then to British Airways for passenger service) * Airspeed Consul (1949–54) * Airspeed Oxford (1948–53) * Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta, Armstrong Whitworth A.W.15 Atalanta (1933–41) * Armstrong Whitworth Ensign, Armstrong Whitworth A.W.27 Ensign (1939–46) * Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley V (1942–43) * Avro Lancaster (1944–49) * Avro Lancastrian (1945–51) * Avro Tudor (1946–51) * Avro York (1944–57) * Boeing 314 Clipper, Boeing 314A Clipper (1941–48) * Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (1949–60) * Boeing 707, Boeing 707-300 & -400 (1960–74) * Boeing 747, Boeing 747-100 (1969–74) * Bristol Britannia (1955–66) * Canadair North Star, Canadair C-4 Argonaut (1949–60) * PBY Catalina, Consolidated Model 28 Catalina (1940–45) * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Consolidated Model 32 Liberator (1941–51) * Curtiss C-46 Commando, Curtis Wright CW-20 - one aircraft (1941–43) * de Havilland Express, de Havilland DH.86 Express (1934–41) * de Havilland Albatross, de Havilland DH.91 Albatross (1938–43) * de Havilland Flamingo, de Havilland DH.95 Flamingo (1940–44) * de Havilland Mosquito, de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito (1943–45) * de Havilland Dove, de Havilland DH.104 Dove (1946–60) * de Havilland Comet, de Havilland DH.106 Comet (1952-54 & 1958–69) * Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota (1943–50) * Douglas DC-7, Douglas DC-7C (1956–65) * Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor- one Danish Airlines aircraft interned (1940–42) * Handley Page Halifax, Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax/Halton (1946–48) * Handley Page Hermes, Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes (1949–57) * Lockheed 10 Electra (1937–44) * Lockheed 14 Super Electra (1938–44) * Lockheed Lodestar, Lockheed 18 Lodestar (1941–48) * Lockheed Hudson, Lockheed 414 Hudson (1941–45) * Lockheed Constellation, Lockheed L-049 & L-749 Constellation (1946–59) * Short Empire, Short S.23, S.30 & S.33 Empire (1937–47) * Short Sunderland, Short S.25 Sunderland/Hythe (1942–49) * Short Sandringham, Short S.25 Sandringham (1947–60) * Short S.26 (1939–47) * Short Solent, Short S.45 Solent (1946–50) * Vickers VC10, Vickers VC10 & Super VC10 (1964-1974) * Vickers VC.1 Viking, Vickers Viking (1946–47) * Vickers Warwick - one aircraft (1944–45) * Vickers Wellington (1942–43) Dates above are for service with BOAC or its forerunners; those still in service in 1974 subsequently passed to British Airways.

Incidents and accidents

1940s

* On 22 April 1940, Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra G-AKFD ''Loch Invar'' crashed 10 miles off course at Beinn Uird, near Loch Lomond, Scotland, killing the three crew. * On 23 May 1940, Armstrong Whitworth Ensign G-ADSZ ''Elysean'' stalled and crashed at Merville Airport after the crew diverted to avoid an attack by a German fighter. *On 23 May 1940, Armstrong Whitworth Ensign G-ADTA ''Euryalus'' was damaged during a crash at RAF Lympne. It had been one of six that escaped a Luftwaffe raid on Merville–Calonne Airport, Merville Airfield, France. The intended destination was Croydon. Approaching the English coast, first she lost her port inner engine and the pilot diverted to RAF Hawkinge. Her starboard inner engine also had to be shut down shortly afterwards. The pilot changed course for Lympne. On landing, the starboard undercarriage failed to lock down, causing the wing to drag on the ground and the aircraft to go through a fence. ''Euryalus'' was flown to RAF Hamble in June, but it was decided to cannibalise her to repair G-ADSU ''Euterpe'' which had been damaged in an accident at Bonnington Aerodrome, Bonnington on 15 December 1939. ''Euryalus'' was scrapped in September 1942.
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). * On 1 September 1941, Consolidated Liberator C I ''AM915'' crashed into a hill outside Campbeltown, Argyll, after a flight from Montreal, killing all four crew and six passengers. * On 29 December 1941, Short Empire G-ADUX ''Cassiopeia'' crashed after striking debris on takeoff from Sabang, Indonesia, killing four. * On 30 January 1942, Short Empire G-AEUH ''Corio'' was shot down by seven Japanese fighter aircraft and 1942 Qantas Short Empire shootdown, crashed off West Timor, killing 13 of 18 on board. The aircraft was owned by BOAC, but was operated by Qantas. * On 15 February 1942, Consolidated Liberator C I G-AGDR was shot down by a Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire in error over the English Channel near Plymouth, England. All five crew and four passengers (including Townsend Griffiss) were killed. The RAF increased aircraft reconnaissance training in response to this incident. * On 28 February 1942, Short Empire G-AETZ ''Circe'' was shot down over the Pacific between Cilacap and Broome by a Japanese fighter, killing all 22 on board. This crash is the worst ever accident involving the Short Empire. The aircraft was operating for Qantas. * On 22 March 1942, Short Empire G-AEUF struck debris while landing and crashed at Port Darwin, Australia, killing two of 11 passengers on board; all four crew survived. * On 24 September 1942, Short Empire G-AFCZ ''Clare'' broke up and sank following a forced landing in the Atlantic off Senegal due to engine failure; all 19 on board died. * On 9 January 1943, Short S.26 G-AFCK ''Golden Horn'' crashed in the Tagus River near Lisbon while attempting an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire, killing 13 of 15 on board. The aircraft was on a test flight following replacement of an engine. * On 15 February 1943, de Havilland Flamingo G-AFYE crashed at Asmara, Eritrea after going into a vertical dive from during a test flight, killing both pilots. * On 23 March 1943, Consolidated PBY Catalina G-AGDA ''Dog-Able'' crashed on landing at Poole Harbor during a training flight, killing three of six on board. * On 4 April 1943, Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (C-56B) G-AGEJ was possibly shot down by a Junkers Ju 88 of Luftwaffe 10/NJG 3 and crashed 31 mi off Skagen, Denmark, killing all seven on board. * On 1 June 1943, BOAC Flight 777, Flight 777, a Douglas DC-3 G-AGBB was shot down over the Bay of Biscay by eight Nazi Germany, German Junkers Ju 88s of KG 40. All seventeen crew and passengers were killed, including actor Leslie Howard (actor), Leslie Howard. There has been widespread speculation that the downing was an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The aircraft was owned and operated by KLM, flying for BOAC. * On 16 June 1943, Lockheed Hudson IV ''FK459'' stalled and crashed while turning for approach to Khartoum Civil Airport due to fuel starvation and engine failure, killing all 17 on board. The aircraft was an RAF military transport operating for BOAC. * On 30 June 1943, Lockheed Hudson IV ''FK618'' spiraled down and crashed near Khartoum, Sudan killing all 16 on board. The aircraft, an RAF military transport operating for BOAC, was probably overloaded. * On 28 July 1943, Short Sunderland 3 G-AGES, crashed into a hill in Dingle Peninsula near the village of Brandon, County Kerry, Brandon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland on a flight from

to Foynes. The crash killed 10 passengers and crew out of 25 on board. * On 17 August 1943, de Havilland Mosquito G-AGGF crashed near Glenshee, Perthshire. * On 25 October 1943, de Havilland Mosquito G-AGGG crashed near RAF Leuchars. * On 5 November 1943, Short Sunderland 3 G-AGIB crashed in the desert 75 miles south-southwest of Sollum, Libya after a portion of the right wing and float separated following an in-flight fire probably caused by an electrical problem; all 19 on board died. * On 17 December 1943, Lockheed Lodestar G-AGDE crashed into the sea off Leuchars, Scotland on a flight from RAF Leuchars to Stockholm-Bromma Airport. The accident killed all 10 passengers and crew on board the flight. * On 3 January 1944, de Havilland Mosquito G-AGGD stalled on landing at Lidköping-Hovby Airport, Såtenäs, Sweden and was written off. * On 19 August 1944, de Havilland Mosquito G-AGKP crashed into the North Sea off Leuchars, Fife. All three people on board were killed. * On 29 August 1944, Lockheed C-60A G-AGIH crashed after striking the top of Kinnekulle, Mount Kinnekulle near Lidköping, Sweden, killing 11 of 15 on board. * On 29 August 1944, de Havilland Mosquito G-AGKR disappeared on a flight from Gothenburg, Sweden to RAF Leuchars with the loss of both crew. * On 29 November 1944, Lockheed Lodestar G-AGBW struck the side of Kinangop Peak, Kenya while descending for Nairobi in bad weather, killing all 11 on board; the wreckage was found on 1 January 1945. * On 21 February 1946, Consolidated Liberator II G-AGEM crashed on landing at Charlottetown, Canada due to icing, killing one of 14 on board. * On 23 March 1946, Avro Lancastrian I G-AGLX disappeared between Sri Lanka and the Cocos Islands with ten on board. The aircraft was owned by BOAC, but was operated by Qantas. * On 14 August 1946, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Douglas Dakota III G-AGHT crashed at Luqa Airport due to fuel starvation after the auxiliary fuel tanks were selected by mistake, killing one of five on board. * On 20 August 1946, Avro Lancastrian 1 G-AGMF crashed at Rouen, France when the crew failed to correctly establish the aircraft's position during descent, killing eight of nine on board. * On 11 January 1947, Douglas Dakota III G-AGJX 1947 BOAC Douglas C-47 crash, crashed at Stowting, Kent whilst on an international scheduled flight from Heathrow to West Africa via Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport, Bordeaux. A number of attempts were made to divert in poor weather. The aircraft crashed whilst attempting to land at Lympne Airport, Lympne. Eight people were killed and eight injured of the five crew and 11 passengers. * On 16 July 1947, Avro York C.1 G-AGNR crashed at Az-Zubair, Iran due to pilot and ATC errors, killing all six crew; all 12 passengers survived. * On 23 August 1947, Short Sandringham 5 G-AHZB crashed on landing at Bahrain Marine Air Base due to the pilot using an incorrect procedure for landing and takeoff, killing ten of 26 on board. * On 19 November 1947, Short Sunderland 3 G-AGHW struck high ground at Brightstone Down in poor visibility due to navigation errors by the pilot, killing one of four on board. * On 14 July 1948, Douglas Dakota IV G-AGKN crashed into cloud-covered cliffs near Toulon, France, killing all six on board. * September 5, 1948 - The Short S.25 Sunderland 3 with registration G-AGEW crashed on takeoff at Surabaya. The port float assembly collapsed on takeoff. The aircraft was turned over.

1950s

* On 26 May 1952, Flight 251, operated by Handley Page Hermes IV G-ALDN, force-landed 71 mi from Atar, Mauritania, due to fuel starvation after the aircraft had flown off course for several hours as a result of navigation and pilot errors. The aircraft had taken off from Tripoli, Libya, with the intended destination of Kano (city), Kano, Nigeria. All on board survived, but the first officer died of heat stroke five days later while awaiting rescue. * On 26 October 1952, DH Comet 1 G-ALYZ, the first Comet taken into service only the month before, crashed on takeoff at Ciampino Airport, Rome.There were no casualties and Italian investigators concluded pilot error as cause of this crash. The investigators found scrapes on the runway for over 650 yards, combined with the pilot report of not getting speed up after rotation and referencing the BOAC Comet manual which stated : "at 80 knots the nose should be raised until the rumble of the nose-wheel ceases. Care should be taken not to over do this and adopt an exaggerated tail down attitude with consequent poor acceleration". The conclusion was made: "An error of judgement by the captain in not appreciating the excessive nose up attitude of the Aircraft during take off". * On 2 May 1953, BOAC Flight 783, Flight 783/057, a de Havilland Comet I G-ALYV crashed 25 miles north-west of Calcutta, India, after suffering structural failure while climbing through 7,500 ft in a severe storm. The crash occurred shortly after take-off from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (then known as Dum Dum Airport) on a flight to Delhi, and killed all 43 passengers and crew on board. * On 10 January 1954, BOAC Flight 781, Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet I, G-ALYP, took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy, en route to Heathrow Airport in London, England; as it was reaching cruising altitude it suffered an explosive decompression and crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea near Elba, killing all 35 on board. * On 13 March 1954, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation, G-ALAM, 1954 BOAC Lockheed Constellation crash, crashed at Kallang Airport, Singapore, when it landed short and struck a sea wall after a flight from Jakarta, killing 33 people out of 40 passengers and crew on board. Pilot fatigue was cited as a contributing cause, and inadequate rescue services were implicitly blamed for some of the fatalities. * On 8 April 1954, de Havilland Comet I G-ALYY was operating South African Airways Flight 201 at night when it suffered what was almost certainly an explosive decompression at altitude and crashed into the sea near the island of Stromboli, off the Italian coast near Naples. The wreckage was never recovered, but all known evidence pointed to a repeat of the recent accident to G-ALYP. The aircraft was operating for South African Airways on charter from BOAC, with an SAA crew. * Early on Christmas Day 25 December 1954, at 0330 hours, a BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser G-ALSA 1954 Prestwick air disaster, crashed on landing at Prestwick, killing 28 of the 36 passengers and crew on board. The aircraft was en route from London to New York when, on approach to an intermediate stop at Prestwick, it entered a steep descent before levelling out too late and too severely, hitting the ground short of the runway. The crash was attributed to a number of factors, including pilot fatigue (the captain was well over his duty limit due to the flight being delayed), the landing lights at Prestwick being out of action due to repair and the First Officer either not hearing a command from the Captain for landing lights (which may have helped judge the low cloud base) or mistakenly hitting the flaps, causing the aircraft to stall. * On 21 September 1955, Canadair North Star, Canadair Argonaut G-ALHL crashed during a storm at Tripoli International Airport after a flight from London and Rome. The aircraft, which was making its fourth attempt to land in the severe weather conditions, struck trees short of the runway. The accident and ensuing fire killed 15 passengers and crew out of 47 people on board. * On 24 June 1956, Canadair Argonaut G-ALHE 1956 Kano Airport BOAC Argonaut crash, crashed after taking off from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on a flight to Tripoli International Airport. The aircraft had reached 200 ft when it encountered a microburst, causing an abrupt loss of speed and altitude. With the Argonaut barely 20 ft above the ground the captain regained control, but too late to avoid colliding with a large baobab tree. The crash killed 32 passengers and crew out of 45 people on board. * On 24 December 1958, a Bristol Britannia 312 G-AOVD 1958 BOAC Bristol Britannia crash, crashed during a test flight near Winkton, England, killing nine of 12 on board.

1960s

* On 5 March 1966, BOAC Flight 911, Flight 911, a Boeing 707 G-APFE, crashed on Mount Fuji after experiencing clear air turbulence. All 124 on board died. * On 9 April 1968, BOAC Flight 712, Flight 712 a Rolls-Royce Conway engine exploded and broke off from the wing of a Boeing 707 G-ARWE ("Whisky-Echo") following take-off from London Heathrow Airport causing an uncontained wing fire. A successful emergency landing at Heathrow was carried out, but a stewardess and four passengers were killed and 38 other passengers were injured as the fire spread during evacuation. The stewardess, Barbara Jane Harrison, was awarded a posthumous George Cross for her part in helping passengers escape.

1970s

* On 9 September 1970, BOAC Flight 775, Flight 775, operated by Vickers VC10 G-ASGN, became the first British plane to be hijacked as part of the Dawson's Field hijackings. * In the early hours of 22 July 1971, BOAC Flight 045 from London to Khartoum was ordered by air control in

(and allegedly forced to obey the order by Libyan military jets) to land at Benghazi at 3.30 am. Sudanese rebel leader Babiker El Nur, announced as president a week before in 1971 Sudanese coup d'état, a political coup, and his companion Major Farouk Hamadallah, were instructed to leave the aircraft, or the fighter planes would bomb it. El Nur quickly agreed to leave, in order to save the lives of the other passengers. He and Hamadallah were quickly taken off the aircraft to be held at gunpoint. Despite strong British government protests to the Sudan about the outrage, and an appeal to Jaafar Nimeiry, President Nimeiry for clemency, the men were both executed within a week. * On 3 August 1971, BOAC Flight 600, operated by a Boeing 747 from Montreal to London, was diverted to Denver, Colorado due to a bomb hoax inspired by a TV film ''Doomsday Flight''. The aircraft travelled 3,200 miles out of its way to land in Denver. The supposed bomb was thought to be triggered by flying below 5,000 feet. Denver's airport was above 5,000 feet.

Non-fatal accidents

1940s

* On 14 September 1940, Short Scylla G-ACJJ ''Scylla'' was destroyed in a windstorm while parked at RAF Drem, Scotland. * On 6 October 1940, de Havilland Albatross G-AFDL ''Fingal'' crashed at Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire during a ferry flight; all three on board survived. * On 24 November 1940, Douglas DC-3 G-AGBI and Armstrong Whitworth Ensign II G-ADTC were destroyed on the ground at Whitchurch Airfield during a German daylight bombing raid. * On 20 December 1940, de Havilland Albatross G-AFDI ''Frobisher'' was destroyed on the ground by a German air raid while parked at Whitchurch Airfield. * On 15 February 1941, Short Empire G-AFCX ''Clyde'' was wrecked in a gale at

, Portugal. * On 23 June 1942, Lockheed Hudson III G-AGDF ditched in the Gullmarsfjorden off Skredewick, Sweden after one engine failed and the other caught fire; all 10 on board survived. * On 16 July 1943, de Havilland Albatross G-AFDK ''Fortuna'' crashed while on approach to Shannon Airport due to wing failure; all 14 on board survived. * On 21 April 1944, Douglas C-47 G-AGFZ was written off following a landing accident at Bromma Airport; the aircraft was sold to AB Aerotransport for spare parts. * On 2 May 1945, Lockheed C-60A G-AGLI ditched in the Baltic Sea in Sikeåfjärden off Västerbotten, Sweden after the crew became disorientated; all nine on board survived and were rescued by locals.

1950s

* On 26 October 1952, de Havilland Comet 1A G-ALYZ failed to gain altitude and crashed on takeoff from Ciampino Airport due to pilot error; all 43 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off, resulting in the first hull-loss of the Comet. * On 25 July 1953, de Havilland Comet 1 G-ALYR experienced a runway excursion while taxiing at Dum Dum Airport. While taxiing, the crew used the landing lights because the taxi lights were too dim. In a left turn while alternating between the left and right lights, the pilot took his hand off the steering wheel, causing the steering to center. The right side main landing gear left the runway; right side engine power was increased and this caused the landing gear to be forced up into the wing, causing severe damage. All 42 on board survived; the aircraft was written off.

1960s

* On 14 March 1960, de Havilland Comet 4 G-APDS struck a ridge while on approach to Barajas Airport, tearing off the landing gear wheels and port side wing fuel tank and damaging the port wing flaps. The pilot abandoned the approach and performed an emergency landing with the damaged gear down. All 32 on board survived and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service. The aircraft was flying too low during the approach. * On 22 August 1960, de Havilland Comet 4 G-APDB took off from a runway at Cairo International Airport that was under construction. The port side main landing gear fell into a hole, breaking off the axles and wheels; all 60 on board survived and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service. * On 24 December 1960, Boeing 707-436 G-APFN overran the runway on landing at Heathrow Airport; all 106 on board survived and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service. The aircraft had come in too fast and landed too far down the runway as a result. * On 9 March 1964, de Havilland Comet 4 G-APDN suffered a tailstrike while landing at Mehrabad Airport, damaging the underside of the fuselage and control of the elevators was lost, but the aircraft continued the landing without further incident. All 57 on board survived.

In popular culture

The Beatles song "Back in the U.S.S.R." references a flight from Miami Beach aboard a BOAC aircraft. In the song Montego Bay by Bobby Bloom, the first line is Vernon will meet me when the BOAC lands. It is referenced in the James Tiptree Jr. story "The Last Flight of Dr. Ain." Multiple references throughout the Netflix TV Series The Crown (TV series), The Crown. In The Sopranos, Season 6 Episode 19 “The Second Coming," Paulie Walnuts reminisces that he was dosed with Lsd, LSD when a BOAC stewardess put it in his drink, during a 1968 visit to the Copacabana (nightclub), Copacabana nightclub. In Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, a BOAC aircraft is hijacked by the villain, Auric Goldfinger, and James Bond held captive upon it until he is able to retrieve the situation. One of the Concorde aircraft operated by

was tail-named G-BOAC. Because of this coincidental reference to BOAC, it was designated the flagship of the Fleet. It is currently on permanent display at Manchester Airport.

Notes

Bibliography

*Cooper, Barbara, ed. ''B.O.A.C Book of Flight.'' London: Max Parrish, 1959. *Higham, Robin. ''Speedbird: The Complete History of BOAC.'' London: I.B. Tauris, distributed by Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. 491-page scholarly history. . *Jackson, A.J. ''Avro Aircraft since 1908.'' London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990. . *Munson, Kenneth. ''Pictorial History of BOAC and Imperial Airways.'' London: Ian Allan, 1970. . *Penrose, Harald. ''Wings Across the World: An Illustrated History of British Airways.'' London: Cassell, 1980 . * John Pudney, Pudney, John. ''The Seven Skies: A Study of B.O.A.C. and its Forerunners Since 1919.'' Putnam, 1959. * * * Turner-Hughes, Charles. "Armstrong Whitworth's Willing Whitley". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 9, February–May 1979, pp. 10–25. . *Woodley, Charles. ''BOAC: An Illustrated History.'' Stroud, England: Tempus, 2004. .

External links

British Airways Archive and Museum Collection

BOAC Junior Jet Club Information

BOAC Junior Jet Club Facebook Group

Catalogue of the BOAC Operational Research Branch archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
BOAC's first New York service August 1940, CLARE at La Guardia Marine terminal, colour photos, LIFE magazine
* {{Authority control British Overseas Airways Corporation, Airlines established in 1939 Defunct airlines of the United Kingdom Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom Defunct seaplane operators Airlines disestablished in 1974 1974 mergers and acquisitions British companies established in 1939 British companies disestablished in 1974

History

War years

Early post-war operations

Introduction of jets

Merger with BEA

Other BOAC companies

BOAC Associated Companies

BOAC-Cunard Ltd

Destinations

Fleet

Incidents and accidents

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

Non-fatal accidents

1940s

1950s

1960s

In popular culture

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links