British Island Airways

British Island Airways
IATA ICAO Call sign
UK / KD BIA BRITISLAND
Founded1970 (UK)) / 1982 (KD)
Ceased operations1980 (UK) / 1991 (KD)
Operating basesLondon Gatwick
DestinationsBritish Isles and Europe
HeadquartersRedhill, United Kingdom (UK)
Crawley, United Kingdom (KD)
Key peopleHon Anthony Cayzer (Chairman)
Wg Cdr L.B. "Bill" Elwin
(UK Managing Director,
1970-1977)
Peter Villa (UK Managing Director, 1977-1980
KD Managing Director, 1982-1991)

British Island Airways (BIA) was the legal successor to British United Island Airways (BUIA).[1][2] It commenced operations under that name in mid-1970.[3] Ten years later it merged with Air Anglia, Air Wales and Air Westward to form Air UK, at the time the United Kingdom's biggest regional airline and its third-largest scheduled operator.[4] The first British Island Airways had its head office at Congreve House (1970–1972)[5][6] and Berkeley House (1973–1979),[7][8] which are respectively located in Station Road and on the high street in Redhill, Surrey.

In 1982 British Island Airways was reconstituted by splitting off the charter operation Air UK had inherited from BIA at the time of its creation into a separate company.[9]

The reconstituted BIA ceased operations in 1991.

  1. ^ BIA looks at jets, Air Transport, Flight International, 1 April 1971, p. 444
  2. ^ The forgotten schedules?, Air Transport, Flight International, 8 March 1973, p. 331
  3. ^ Independence for BUIA, Air Transport, Flight International, 30 July 1970, p. 151
  4. ^ Air UK is Air Anglia and BIA successor, Air Transport, Flight International, 27 October 1979, p. 1343
  5. ^ World Airlines, Flight International, 6 May 1971, p. 621
  6. ^ World Airline Directory, Flight International, 18 May 1972, Supplement 18.
  7. ^ World Airline Survey, Flight International, 22 March 1973, p. 449
  8. ^ World Airline Directory, Flight International, 28 April 1979, p. 1354
  9. ^ New British carrier to take over Air UK's IT operation, Air Transport, Flight International, 23 January 1982, p. 159