Berlin European UK is a defunct regional
UK airline based at
Tegel Airport
Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Berlin-Tegel „Otto Lilienthal“) was the primary international airport of Berlin, the federal capital of Germany. The airport was named after aviation pioneer Otto Lilientha ...
in what used to be
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
in the days prior to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's
reunification
A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governm ...
.
[''Market Place'', Air Transport, Flight International, 11 April 1987, p. 7](_blank)
/ref>
History
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Richard "Dick" Twomey, a former 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 ...
pilot and general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, was the founder and majority owner of Berlin Regional UK, Berlin European's original name.[''Berlin Regional service to start'', Flight International, 14 June 1986, p. 6](_blank)
/ref>
Preparations for Berlin Regional's launch were complete in December 1985, following which the airline was legally constituted in 1986. Commercial airline operations commenced during April 1987.
/ref>
Its initial fleet comprised two BAe Jetstream 31
The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin- turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...
commuter turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
planes. These featured a reduced seat capacity of 16 (rather than the more usual 19). While Berlin Regional employed its own maintenance engineers at Tegel Airport for routine maintenance
Maintenance may refer to:
Biological science
* Maintenance of an organism
* Maintenance respiration
Non-technical maintenance
* Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English
* Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doctrine ...
tasks, East Midlands Airport
East Midlands Airport is an international airport in the East Midlands of England, close to Castle Donington in northwestern Leicestershire, between Loughborough (), Derby () and Nottingham (); Leicester is () to the south and Lincoln () nort ...
-based maintenance engineering contractor Field Aviation performed heavy maintenance on Berlin Regional's Jetstreams.
Both the UK Civil Aviation Authority
A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register.
Role
Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...
(CAA) and West Berlin's Allied Air Attachés had licensed Berlin Regional to operate year-round, daily scheduled services from Berlin Tegel to Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
, Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
and Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...
. None of these destinations was served from any West Berlin airport on a regular, scheduled basis at the time of Berlin Regional's application for traffic rights to the relevant authorities.
In April 1987 Berlin Regional inaugurated its first two scheduled routes from Berlin Tegel to Copenhagen and Geneva. Basel and Friedrichshafen joined Berlin Regional's scheduled route network in June 1987. Services to Brussels never got off the ground, as a result of US major TWA
Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...
's subsequent decision to enter the Tegel–Brussels market with a much bigger Boeing 727-100
The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After the heavy Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter f ...
from July 1987. Poor load
Load or LOAD may refer to:
Aeronautics and transportation
*Load factor (aeronautics), the ratio of the lift of an aircraft to its weight
*Passenger load factor, the ratio of revenue passenger miles to available seat miles of a particular transpo ...
s to Basel and Geneva forced Berlin Regional to combine these services. When Pan Am Express
Pan Am Express was a brand name for a code sharing passenger feed service operated by other airlines on behalf of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). It was founded in the early 1980s, and lasted until the demise of Pan Am in 1991.
History
I ...
launched a competing Tegel–Basel route in November 1987, Berlin Regional dropped Basel from its schedule. Like Brussels, Kiel was never served, as a result of Pan Am Express's decision to serve this destination from Tegel itself. Ultimately, Copenhagen and Friedrichshafen were Berlin Regional's only surviving scheduled destinations.
On 4 May 1988 Capt.
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Twomey held a press conference in Berlin during which he announced a new strategy
Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...
for his airline. This strategy envisaged the adoption of a new name for the airline as well as the replacement of the regional turboprop fleet with "mainline" jet equipment, thereby enabling the company to exit the overcrowded, cut-throat regional scheduled market from Berlin and to apply for scheduled licences to serve higher margin
Margin may refer to:
Physical or graphical edges
*Margin (typography), the white space that surrounds the content of a page
*Continental margin, the zone of the ocean floor that separates the thin oceanic crust from thick continental crust
*Leaf ...
trunk routes, as well as to enter the lucrative inclusive tour
A package tour, package vacation, or package holiday comprises transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided such as a rental car, activities or outings during the ho ...
(IT) charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
market under contract to the city's leading package tour
A package tour, package vacation, or package holiday comprises transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided such as a rental car, activities or outings during the ho ...
operators. As a result, Berlin Regional UK would become Berlin European UK and lease a new Boeing 737-300
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
.[''Berlin European ends BA service'', Operations: Air Transport, Flight International, 4-10 April 1990, p. 10](_blank)
/ref> However, an unsuccessful application for a scheduled route licence to serve the prestigious Berlin–Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
route with up to four daily flights in each direction resulted in Berlin European subleasing this aircraft to fellow UK independent[independent from ]government-owned corporation
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...
s Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines, also known as Monarch, was a British Air charter, charter and scheduled airline founded by Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock and financed by the Switzerland, Swiss Sergio Mantegazza family. The company later became a low-cost air ...
from October 1988.[''The airline from Berlin'', Flight International, 5 August 1989, pp.29-31](_blank)
/ref> (Berlin European arranged for the aircraft, which had already been painted in Berlin European's livery
A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
, to be directly transferred from the manufacturer's Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
plant in the US to Monarch's Luton
Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
base in the UK.)
All remaining Berlin European scheduled services ceased at the end of the 1989/90 winter timetable period.
Following the cessation of its scheduled operations, Berlin European leased another new 737-300
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
Berlin European Boeing-737-3L9 (photograph)
/ref> for sole use on charter flights
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline).
Regulation
Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights r ...
to 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 ...
and the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
from its Tegel base. This aircraft was contracted to Germany's biggest tour operator ''TUI'' and to ''Berliner Flugring'', at the time Berlin's leading package tour operator
A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes accommodations, meals, sightseeing and transportation components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holidays and ...
, from the beginning of the 1990 summer season.
With the reunification of the two Germanies which took place that year, German airlines took over the scheduled and charter operations which had previously been undertaken, under the terms of the post-World War II Potsdam Agreement, by the British, American and French airline operators. Capt Twomey reluctantly decided to sell Berlin European's airport slots and other effects to Germania
Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north- ...
, with effect from 1 April 1991. On that day Berlin European's Air Operator Certificate expired and the transfer of its ownership
Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...
to Germania became effective.
At the end of September 2017 in Russia,
scandal
erupted around VIM Airlines
VIM Airlines (legally ''VIM Avia'') was a Russian charter airline headquartered in Moscow based at Domodedovo International Airport. It offered international scheduled and charter operations for both passengers and cargo as well as wet lease serv ...
, then on the official website o
Israel Airports Authority
in the timetable of flights to Ovda airport
Ovda Airport is a military air base and former Joint-use airport, joint-use civilian airport in the Uvda (Israel), Uvda region of southern Israel, about north of Eilat. It was the country's second international airport. Ovda was originally bui ...
, all VIM Airlines scheduled flight records were replacedby the name BERLIN EUROPEAN U.K., including appropriate flight numbers. At the moment it is not clear whether this replacement is formal, or flights will be carried out under name of BERLIN EUROPEAN U.K., or it is just outdated information of IATA codes table, handled by Israel Airports Authority. The first flight to Ovda Airport
Ovda Airport is a military air base and former Joint-use airport, joint-use civilian airport in the Uvda (Israel), Uvda region of southern Israel, about north of Eilat. It was the country's second international airport. Ovda was originally bui ...
scheduled 15 October 2017 from Saint Petersburg under WZ 4773 flight number. As known, WZ IATA code registered today for Russian Red Wings Airlines
Red Wings Airlines is a Russian regional leisure airline based in Moscow Domodedovo Airport. The airline provides both scheduled passenger and cargo services.
History
Red Wings was founded in 1999 under the name VARZ-400, after the Russian acr ...
.
Fleet
Berlin Regional UK /Berlin European UK operated the following aircraft types:
* BAe Jetstream 31
The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin- turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...
* Boeing 737-300
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
Incidents and accidents
There are no recorded accidents or incidents involving Berlin Regional/ Berlin Europea
See also
* List of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom
This is a list of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom.
See also
* List of airlines of the United Kingdom
* List of airports in the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies
References
*
*
{{List of defunct airlines ...
Notes
References
References
* (various backdated issues relating to Berlin Regional UK, 1986-1988)
External links
''Berlin European UK Ltd.''
{{Airlines of the United Kingdom
Defunct airlines of the United Kingdom
Airlines established in 1986
Airlines disestablished in 1991
1986 establishments in West Germany
1980s in West Berlin