Platinum Anniversary

[atuk]

Ok this company sadly no longer exists but it is one which helped shape the industry into what it is today.

The company which was originally was based at Blackbushe then Gatwick was Dan-Air London, a subsidiary of the Davies and Newman shipping line with a DC3. Ambassadors followed then the first jets, ex BOAC Comer 4s one of which carried the victorious Celtic team home to Glasgow from Lisbon. Dan Air was a charter carrier branching out into scheduled service with the purchase of Skyways Coach Air and their HS748s which pounded the GLA-LBA-LTN route as well as numerous additional aircraft to support the North Sea oil boom with oil support flights from GLA-SCS when the Sullom Voe oil terminal was being built as well as ABZ-LSI and Unst for workers with inward helicopter flights to the North Sea oil rigs.

On the charter front Dan Air wasn’t tied to any particular tour operator but provided seats to many as a whole plane charterer and seat consolidator working closely with Owners Abroad the parent of what was to later become Air 2000 and First Choice Holidays. They were experts at sourcing second hand aircraft BAC1-11s from British Eagle and Court Line Aviation as well as Arkia and LACSA, 707s from Pan Am and the first operator of the Boeing 727 from Japan Air Lines.

European destinations from Glasgow included Gerona, Barcelona, Alicante, Palma, Ibiza, Rimini, Munich, Palermo, Valencia for one season and tour operators included Clarksons, Blue Sky, Global, Joe Walsh Tours, Ellerman Sunflight, Falcon Holidays and Enterprise.

707s, 727s 737s, 1-11, Comets and 748s all visited GLA regularly the 707s to ALC, GRO and PMI whilst their popular trans Atlantic affinity group charters, then ABCs, were operated from PIK with 707s.

Although based in LGW Dan Air had bases at LTN and MAN and regular operations from BHX and BRS as well as many flights to the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Expansion was not just confined to the UK: Dan Air had a Berlin base at Tegel flying routes to Saarbrucken and Amsterdam as well as the traditional sunspots. In fact 727s had additional fuel tanks to operate the long sector to Tenerife. Conversely Dan Air operated from LGW to BRN with 748# then the 146 ideally suited to short field operations. Other niche destinations were Clermont Ferrand and and Montpellier.

As the charter industry matured and the vertical integration model took hold Dan Air lost major clients as Global became part of the Intasun Leisure Group which went on to found air Europe. Owners Abroad launched Air 2000 and Airtours formed Airtours International.

By this time fuel thirsty Comets were leaving the fleet, their replacements being the trusty 737; the darling of the IT industry. As charter business declined Dan Air turned more and more to scheduled services as BA thinned their own network creating opportunities for London to Aberdeen and Inverness the former from Gatwick the latter from both Gatwick and Heathrow. Gatwick became a focus for a European network competing against both air Europe and BA.

Like others beforehand, seeking the Holy Grail of unprofitable short haul services against more profitable charters, all didn’t end well. A rescue by company doctor David James and a rights issue to raise funds from shareholders saw the fleet trimmed, engineering business sold off and staff lose their jobs. The company was bought for £1 plus £42million debt by British Airways on 31OCT92.

A sad end to a innovator and industry stalwart. If only they had modernised more quickly, bought out a solid tour operator and had lasted to benefit from European deregulation they might still be here today.

[bill]

I well remember their Comets,HS748's and Bac 1- 11's at GLA. Only had the pleasure of flying with them on LGW-RMI-LGW in the late 80's. Flight was excellent and cabin crew were tremendous with us.

[atuk]

I well remember their Comets,HS748's and Bac 1- 11's at GLA. Only had the pleasure of flying with them on LGW-RMI-LGW in the late 80's. Flight was excellent and cabin crew were tremendous with us.

Yes they had a reputation of Dan Dare which they didn’t deserve. They were a very professional company but they didn’t move with the times quickly enough.

Mrs C and I flew GLA-FAO on a 1-11 and I flew once on a Comet from LGW-NCL. It climbed out of Gatwick like a home sick angel! My sister and her best friend flew LGW-VCE on a Citalia Holiday on one of the ex Court Line ( sob, sob) 1-11 after Dan purchased six of the ex Court Line aircraft adding the series 500 to the existing fleet of 200and 400series 1-11s.

[hads]

My first time on an aircraft was Glasgow -Geneva Danair Comet
What I remember most was seats that faced each other. Like a train.
Got pictures somewhere.

[dgr727]

Flew with DanAir BAC-111's several times while at RAF KInloss on the Inverness-Heathrow route 1985-1990. They were well liked by the locals as BA had abandoned the route earlier.

[Ekally1]

Flew Dan air, think I was about 5 .. flew MAN-PMI .. was a new 734 which at that time was state of the art .. how times change

[viscount]

I flew
With Dan air in about 1978 MAN to GIB 727 I think it was a 200
At that time a air craft of this size was meet at GIB with a fire tender and boat n case it over shot and went into the sea
I remember we offloaded by the back steps under the engine, great experience

[PiperOne]

While we're talking all things Dan-Air, interior shot of ex-RAF Comet 4C G-BDIX preserved at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune.

IMGP2366 DH106 Comet 4C G-BDIX Dan-Air by Fergus Abraham, on Flickr