BEA was formed in 1946 and took over most UK domestic and European
routes under the British government's nationalization policy. It began
operations with a fleet of outdated and hopelessly uneconomic passenger
aircraft that were derivatives of wartime types such as the DC-3, Avro
Viking and Rapide. By the end of 1955 the airline had re-equipped with
more modern types such as the jet-prop Viscount and moved into a profit
for the first time. From 1960 onwards the airline introduced larger jets
such as the Comet, Trident and BAC 1-11. BEA merged with the British
Overseas Airways Corporation in 1974 to form British Airways.
This book looks at BEA's predecessors, its formation and early operation
from Croydon and Northolt and the move to the newly-opened London
Heathrow. The evolving structure is explained with chapters covering
engineering bases, terminals, European and domestic services, cargo
services and helicopter operations. The aircraft flown are all described
in detail and the book, illustrated throughout, includes anecdotes from
former crew and ground-staff as well as a full fleet list.
