United Airways Ltd was a British airline operating in 1935, ending as part of

British Airways Ltd British Airways Ltd was a British airline company operating in Europe in the period 1935–1939. It was formed in 1935 by the merger of Spartan Air Lines Ltd, United Airways Ltd (no relation to the US carrier United Airlines), and Hillman's A ...

History

Whitehall Securities Whitehall Securities Corporation Ltd was formed in 1907 by Weetman Pearson MP and his son Harold Pearson MP. Sir Weetman was nominated as President as well as being a founding director. The company was capitalised at £1,000,000. On 12 December 1 ...

Corporation was a wealthy investment company run by Clive Pearson, the son of the founder. He was interested in aviation, and invested in Metal Propellers Ltd in 1925, and in Airwork Ltd in 1929. He also invested in Simonds Aircraft in 1928, renaming it

Spartan Aircraft Ltd Spartan Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1930 to 1935. It was formed by reinvestment in Simmonds Aircraft which had suffered financially. History In 1928 Oliver Simmonds designed and built a prototype aircraft, the Si ...

in 1930. Pearson then took a 50% share in

Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. History The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a co ...

(SARO) and combined the two companies to produce the

Spartan Cruiser The Spartan Cruiser was a 1930s British three- engined transport monoplane for 6 to 10 passengers built by Spartan Aircraft Limited at East Cowes, Isle of Wight. It was a development of the Saro-Percival Mailplane for passenger use. Design an ...

airliner. To promote the Cruiser Pearson founded

Spartan Air Lines Spartan Air Lines Ltd was a British private airline company, in the period 1933–1935. In 1933, it started operating passenger services from the London area to the Isle of Wight. In late 1935 it merged with United Airways Ltd to form British Airway ...

on 2 February 1933, which on 12 April started services from

Heston Aerodrome Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, Ne ...

to the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. Meanwhile, Walter Thurgood was making good profits with

Jersey Airways Jersey Airways was an airline that operated air services to and from the Channel Islands from 1933 until 1947, when it became part of British European Airways. History Jersey Airways Limited was formed by Walter Thurgood on 9 December 1933. ...

, and was starting another airline, Guernsey Airways. On 1 December 1934, Pearson, along with

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

and Southern Railway formed a holding company called Channel Islands Airways Ltd to control both airlines, with Whitehall Securities and Thurgood holding two thirds of the shares.

Wanting to expand northwards. Pearson then founded United Airways on 4 April 1935 through Channel Islands Airways, with Thurgood in charge. The fleet was to consist of several Spartan Cruisers from Spartan Air Lines, and newly-ordered

de Havilland Dragon Rapide The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide is a 1930s short-haul biplane airliner developed and produced by British aircraft company de Havilland. Capable of accommodating 6–8 passengers, it proved an economical and durable craft, despite its rela ...

s, all of which held six to eight passengers. There were also some pleasure-flying aircraft which would be particularly popular at Blackpool in the coming holiday season. On 30 April United started services from Spartan’s base at

Heston Heston is a suburban area and part of the Hounslow district in the London Borough of Hounslow. The residential settlement covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor farming village, 10.8 miles (17.4 km) west south-west of Charing ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

and onwards to the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

(Kingstown Municipal Airport), with a link by

Northern & Scottish Airways Northern & Scottish Airways was a regional airline established in Glasgow in 1934. It was taken over in 1937, eventually becoming part of British European Airways. History Formation The potential of running scheduled air services to the Wester ...

(N&SA) from the Isle of Man to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. In May, Whitehall took a controlling interest in N&SA, and although United included its

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...

routes as an associate airline, it was never formally part of United. In June 1935 United did take Highland Airways under its wing, but it retained its own identity and a degree of independence. Hall Caine Timetable

On 18 June United Airways operated daily services between Blackpool and

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, the Isle of Man and

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, and Blackpool and

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

. United had taken over the lease of Blackpool's

Stanley Park Aerodrome Stanley Park Aerodrome was an airfield located in the Stanley Park area of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It was also known as Blackpool Municipal Airport, and was in use for civil and military flying from 1929 until closure of the airfield in ...

and were running it for the town's Corporation. They were also in talks with the independent

Hillman's Airways Hillman's Airways was a 1930s British airline that later became part of British Airways. The company was formed in November 1931 as Hillman's Saloon Coaches and Airways Limited by Edward Henry Hillman who was a coach operator in Essex. His pre ...

to run services from London to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

and

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 ...

and possibly to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. United Airways lasted less than five months, until 30 September 1935, when under Pearson’s command, Spartan and United along with

, all combined into one new company, Allied British Airways. That itself only lasted one month, as it was renamed

on 29 October, and it became a public company on 11 December.

Routes

United Airways routes as in timetable dated 18 June 1935. "In conjunction with Northern & Scottish Airways" and "Connections available with Isle of Wight and Jersey air services". * Heston — Blackpool — Isle of Man (twice daily) * Isle of Man — Blackpool — Liverpool (thrice daily) * Isle of Man — Blackpool — Morecambe (twice daily) * Blackpool — Leeds (daily) * Isle of Man — Carlisle (daily, twice on Saturdays) * Isle of Man — Glasgow (N&SA - daily) * Glasgow — Campbeltown — Islay (N&SA - daily)

Fleet list

Two further Rapides were originally registered to United Airways, G-ADBV and G-ADBW, but never delivered; they were diverted to Jersey Airways. The fleet livery was plain silver or white with red markings.

Accidents and incidents

There are no recorded accidents or incidents to United Airways aircraft.

References

{{Airlines of the United Kingdom Defunct airlines of the United Kingdom Airlines disestablished in 1935 Airlines established in 1935 1935 establishments in England 1935 disestablishments in England 1935 mergers and acquisitions

History

Routes

Fleet list

Accidents and incidents

See also

References