Aquila Airways

Aquila was founded by Barry Aikman, initially using two converted Royal Air Force Short Sunderland flying boats, ex-British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), for freight work. During the Berlin Airlift a further 10 Sunderland 3s were acquired, and these flew a total of 265 supply missions during 1948/49 from Finkenwerder on the river Elbe to the river Havel on the outskirts of Berlin.[1]

Short Sunderland 3 G-AGER Hadfield served Aquila Airways from 1948 to 1956. Hamble Beach 1955

After the end of the Berlin Airlift, Aquila hoped to find work for their fleet on worldwide ad hoc passenger and freight charters, but this plan quickly proved unsuccessful.

Aquila obtained an association agreement with British European Airways (BEA) under which they were permitted to operate scheduled services from Southampton to Lisbon and Madeira. These flight were supplemented by charter flights to a wide variety of destinations. June 1949 brought a series of Sunderland 3 flights with holidaymakers from Falmouth, Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. Other 1949 charters included seamen from Aden to the UK and from Hull to Helsinki.[1]

The popular Madeira service continued in 1950/51 and was joined by a Southampton to Jersey service from 7 July 1950, which used St Aubins Bay to land its passengers. The airline also provided charter flights for shipping firms.

Aquila Airways Short Solent 4 G-ANAJ City of Funchal at Berth 50, Southampton Docks in 1955

In 1952 Short Solents were acquired second hand. The airline continued to operate schedules to Madeira and the Canary Islands with the newly acquired aircraft.

In 1954 the British Aviation Services Group took control of Aquila Airways, the last commercial flying boat operator in the UK.[2][3]

Suez Crisis. In 1956 an Aquila Airways flying boat was used to evacuate civilian Suez Canal Company personnel, together with their families, from the Great Bitter Lake to Southampton water, via Grand Harbour, Malta.

During the later 1950s, Aquila Airways faced increasing competition from land based aircraft and being unable to obtain replacement flying boats (offers to purchase the prototype Princess flying boats having been rebuffed), the company announced in July 1958 it would cease operating.[4] This left TEAL as the only long range flying boat passenger airline.

• Short Sandringham I
• Short Solent 2
• Short Solent 3
• Short Solent 4
• Short Sunderland 3

• Sunderland 3 'Hythe' class G-AGKY was damaged during takeoff and subsequently capsized and sank at Calshot on 28 January 1953 without injuries to its occupants.[5]
• Short Solent G-AKNU crashed into Chessell Down, Isle of Wight on 15 November 1957, killing 45 out of the 58 on board.[6]

Notes

Citations

• "Classic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten: Aquila Airways)". Hersham, UK: Ian Allan Publishing. April 2012: 86–89. ISSN 2049-2081. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (Classic Aircraft online)
• Hull, Norman (1994). Eagles Over Water. Baron Birch for Quotes Limited. ISBN 0-86023-547-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Hull, Norman (2002). Flying Boats of The Solent. A Silver Link Book from The NOSTALGIA Collection. ISBN 1-85794-161-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

• PortCities Southampton - Aquila Airways
• Aquila Airways at the Aviation Safety Network Database