Summer 1973 fifty years ago
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:56 am
How time flies. Back then in the spectators terrace you could buy a copy of the monthly Airport schedule listing all the scheduled, charter and charter flights then walk onto the terrace to view the aircraft. There was plenty variety with many charter flights from both UK and overseas airlines and destinations served that we no longer see today.
Boeing 707s of Dan-Air London operated to Alicante, Gerona and Palma on W pattern flights being Manchester based with the based Donaldson 707 flying to Alicante, Barcelona, Gerona, Palma, Rimini and Tunis. Britannia Airways 737s served Athens and Lisbon as well as the usual Spanish destinations plus Rimini. The other 737 operator was Lufthansa with their 100 series operating Glasgow, Manchester, Frankfurt rotations. Aer Lingus also used the series 200 to Dublin alternating with their BAC1-11 200 aircraft to Dublin.
BEA Airtours based a Comet over the weekend positioning in on Friday afternoons from Gatwick then flying fortnightly to Faro and Malaga; the only carrier to offer these routes. Dan Air London was the other Comet operator serving Spanish and Italian destinations.
The popular inclusive tour jet of the day was the BAC One Eleven 500 series which British Caledonian, British Midland and Court Line all used in services from Glasgow. Destinations included Alghero, Alicante, Basel, Bergen, Corfu, Genoa, Gerona, Ibiza, Mahon, Ostend, Palma, Pisa Rimini, Rome, Venice. Dan Air London used the BAC 1-11 400 series aircraft to Palma and Gerona. Another operator of this aircraft and the longer 500 series was Bavaria Flug serving Munich.
Douglas DC8 and 9 aircraft were flown by Aviaco, Air Spain, Balair and Inex Adria Aviopromet destinations included Palma, Tenerife, Ljubljana and Zurich. Scheduled services by KLM to Amsterdam, SAS to Copenhagen and Loftleidir to Keflavik and London Heathrow using a variety of DC8/9 equipment.
Another aircraft type seen was the elegant Caravelle used by Aviaco to Palma as well as popping up from time to time on SAS services to Copenhagen. The sole 727 operator was Icelandair using series 100 aircraft from Keflavik and onwards to Copenhagen, Dan Air London did use the aircraft infrequently to Alicante. Monarch Airlines flew Glasgow-Tenerife using a Bristol Britannia!
Domestic services saw a variety of 1-11, Trident, Viscount, Vanguard/Merchantman, Herons and Skyvans not forgetting Logainair Islander, Trilander and the Beech 18 G-ASUG. Cambrian and Northeast provided a splash of colour with orange/black, yellow/black colour schemes. Cambrian operated Glasgow-Liverpool- Cardiff whereas Northeast sometimes deputised for BEA/British Airways on Heathrow services. Other domestic services were the BIA Herald to Isle of Man and Dan Air Skyways HS748 to Leeds Bradford and Luton.
There are lots of destinations currently served that weren’t back then Las Palmas, Arrecife, Fuerteventura, lots of Greek Islands and Cyprus, Egypt and Turkey. Against that are lots of airports no longer served from Glasgow including Aberdeen, Inverness, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. Italian destinations are minimal, Athens, a popular destination, along with Lakes and Mountains destinations in Germany, Slovenia and Norway are all long gone.
Progress? In some ways; certainly not in all. That terrace bred and fed a lifetime love of commercial aviation firstly through my side line business of Airport Timetables UK to now being part of a workforce in a global ground handling company. As a Dan Air London manager said to me “ if aviation is in your blood it will never leave you”.
Boeing 707s of Dan-Air London operated to Alicante, Gerona and Palma on W pattern flights being Manchester based with the based Donaldson 707 flying to Alicante, Barcelona, Gerona, Palma, Rimini and Tunis. Britannia Airways 737s served Athens and Lisbon as well as the usual Spanish destinations plus Rimini. The other 737 operator was Lufthansa with their 100 series operating Glasgow, Manchester, Frankfurt rotations. Aer Lingus also used the series 200 to Dublin alternating with their BAC1-11 200 aircraft to Dublin.
BEA Airtours based a Comet over the weekend positioning in on Friday afternoons from Gatwick then flying fortnightly to Faro and Malaga; the only carrier to offer these routes. Dan Air London was the other Comet operator serving Spanish and Italian destinations.
The popular inclusive tour jet of the day was the BAC One Eleven 500 series which British Caledonian, British Midland and Court Line all used in services from Glasgow. Destinations included Alghero, Alicante, Basel, Bergen, Corfu, Genoa, Gerona, Ibiza, Mahon, Ostend, Palma, Pisa Rimini, Rome, Venice. Dan Air London used the BAC 1-11 400 series aircraft to Palma and Gerona. Another operator of this aircraft and the longer 500 series was Bavaria Flug serving Munich.
Douglas DC8 and 9 aircraft were flown by Aviaco, Air Spain, Balair and Inex Adria Aviopromet destinations included Palma, Tenerife, Ljubljana and Zurich. Scheduled services by KLM to Amsterdam, SAS to Copenhagen and Loftleidir to Keflavik and London Heathrow using a variety of DC8/9 equipment.
Another aircraft type seen was the elegant Caravelle used by Aviaco to Palma as well as popping up from time to time on SAS services to Copenhagen. The sole 727 operator was Icelandair using series 100 aircraft from Keflavik and onwards to Copenhagen, Dan Air London did use the aircraft infrequently to Alicante. Monarch Airlines flew Glasgow-Tenerife using a Bristol Britannia!
Domestic services saw a variety of 1-11, Trident, Viscount, Vanguard/Merchantman, Herons and Skyvans not forgetting Logainair Islander, Trilander and the Beech 18 G-ASUG. Cambrian and Northeast provided a splash of colour with orange/black, yellow/black colour schemes. Cambrian operated Glasgow-Liverpool- Cardiff whereas Northeast sometimes deputised for BEA/British Airways on Heathrow services. Other domestic services were the BIA Herald to Isle of Man and Dan Air Skyways HS748 to Leeds Bradford and Luton.
There are lots of destinations currently served that weren’t back then Las Palmas, Arrecife, Fuerteventura, lots of Greek Islands and Cyprus, Egypt and Turkey. Against that are lots of airports no longer served from Glasgow including Aberdeen, Inverness, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. Italian destinations are minimal, Athens, a popular destination, along with Lakes and Mountains destinations in Germany, Slovenia and Norway are all long gone.
Progress? In some ways; certainly not in all. That terrace bred and fed a lifetime love of commercial aviation firstly through my side line business of Airport Timetables UK to now being part of a workforce in a global ground handling company. As a Dan Air London manager said to me “ if aviation is in your blood it will never leave you”.
