Channel Air Bridge

Channel Air Bridge
IATA ICAO Call sign
– – –
Founded1954
Ceased operations1962
HubsSouthend Airport
AllianceAir Charter
Aviation Traders,
Aviation Traders (Engineering)
Fleet size11 aircraft[1]
DestinationsUnited Kingdom
Continental Europe
Parent companyAirwork (1958–1960)
Air Holdings (1961–1962)
HeadquartersCentral London
Key peopleD.A. Whybrow,
H.E. Cross,
G.P. Parselle,
A.T. Pugh

Channel Air Bridge was a private British independent[nb 1] airline specialising in cross-Channel vehicle-cum-passenger ferry services. Freddie Laker started Channel Air Bridge as a sister airline of Air Charter on a provisional basis in 1954. Operations commenced in 1955. In 1958, Channel Air Bridge took over Air Charter's vehicle ferry services.[2][3][4] In 1959, both Channel Air Bridge and its sister airline Air Charter became part of the Airwork group.[3][4] In 1960, Airwork joined with Hunting-Clan to form British United Airways (BUA).[4] In 1962, BUA reorganised its vehicle ferry operations by merging Channel Air Bridge with Silver City Airways. This resulted in the creation of British United Air Ferries in 1963.[5]

  1. ^ As of April 1962, two Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair, eight Bristol 170 Superfreighter Mark 32 and one Bristol 170 Freighter Mark 31.
  2. ^ Flight International, 18 April 1958, World Airline Directory ..., p. 525
  3. ^ a b Airliner World – Britain's Carferry Airlines, Key Publishing, Avenel, NJ, USA, July 2005, p. 34
  4. ^ a b c Merton-Jones 1972, p. 10
  5. ^ Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten ... SILVER CITY), Vol 43, No 3, p. 44, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, January 2010


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