List of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom

An ATR 42 of Air Wales, ceased flying in 2006.

A Boeing 737-300 of Buzz, acquired by Ryanair in 2003.

This is a list of defunct airlines of the United Kingdom.

Name	Year of establishment	Year of disestablishment	Notes
A2B Airways	2005	2006	Until 2005, was Flykeen Airways, then bought by British NorthWest Airlines
AB Airlines	1993	1999
ACE Freighters	1964	1966
ACE Scotland	1966	1966
African Air Safaris	1954	1959	became Air Safaris
Air 2000	1987	2004	became First Choice Airways
Air Anglia	1970	1980	became AirUK
Air Atlanta Europe	2003	2006	taken over and merged into XL Airways
Air Bristol	1982	1993	became AB Airlines
Air Caledonian	2003	2005
Air Charter Limited	1947	1960	to British United Airways
Air Cordial	2000	2004	Aircraft operated by Air Scandic
Air Europe	1979	1991
Air Ferry Limited	1961	1968
Air Foyle HeavyLift	2001	2006
Air Manchester	1982	1982
Air Safaris	1959	1961
Air Scandic	1997	2005
Air Scotland	2002	2005
Air Southwest	2003	2011
Air Transport Charter	1947	1950
Air UK Leisure	1987	1996
Air Wales	1997	2006
Aircraft Transport and Travel	1919	1921
Airflight	1948	1950
Airtours International Airways	1990	2004
AirUK	1980	1998	became KLM uk
Airways International Cymru	1984	1988
Airwork Limited	1928	1960	to British United Airways
Airworld	1994	1998
Alidair	1972	1982
Alpha One Airways	2005	2006	Small regional airline
Ambassador Airways	1992	1994
Aquila Airways	1948	1958
Astraeus Airlines	2002	2011
AV8 Air	2003	2004
BA Connect	2006	2007	to Flybe
Berlin European UK	1986	1991
Birmingham European Airways	1983	1992
BKS Air Transport	1952	1970	acquired by British European Airways and renamed Northeast Airlines (UK)
Britannia Airways	1964	2005	renamed Thomsonfly
British Air Transport	1932	1951
British Airtours	1969	1988	Started in 1969 as BEA Airtours, renamed British Airtours in 1974, then renamed to Caledonian Airways in 1988.
British Airways Ltd.	1935	1939
British Amphibious Airlines	1932	1933
British Asia Airways	1995	2001	part of British Airways
BCAL - British Caledonian Airways	1970	1988	acquired by British Airways
British Cargo Airlines	1979	1980
British Continental Airways		1935
British Eagle	1948	1968
British European Airways (BEA)	1946	1974	to British Airways
British European	2000	2002	became Flybe, was Jersey European Airways
British Island Airways	1970	1991
British Marine Air Navigation Co Ltd	1923	1924
British Mediterranean Airways (BMED)	1994	2007	acquired by bmi
British NorthWest Airlines	2001	2006
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)	1939	1974	to British Airways
British South American Airways (BSSA)	1946	1949
British United Air Ferries	1963	2001	Renamed British Air Ferries in 1967, and in 1993, renamed British World Airlines.
British United Airways	1960	1970	merged with Caledonian as British Caledonian
British United Island Airways	1968	1970
Brymon Airways	1972	2002
Brymon European Airways	1992	1993
Buzz	1999	2003	acquired by Ryanair
Cal Air International	1985	1988	rebranded as Novair
Caledonian Airways	1961	1970
Caledonian Airways	1988	2000
Cambrian Airways	1935	1976
Capital Airlines	1987	1992
Channel Air Bridge	1958	1962	to British United Air Ferries, originally Air Charter
Channel Airways	1962	1971
Channel Express	1978	2006	to Jet2.com
CityFlyer Express	1991	2002
Club 328	2005	2008
Cunard Eagle Airways	1960	1962
Court Line	1957	1974	Originally Argus Air Transport, then became Autair (Luton), then Autair International Airways
Daimler Airway	1922	1924
Dan-Air Services	1953	1992	to British Airways
Debonair	1995	1999
Derby Aviation	1949	1959	Forerunner of British Midland International
Duo Airways	2003	2004
Donaldson International Airways	1968	1974
Eagle Aviation	1948	1960
East Anglian Flying Services	1947	1962	renamed Channel Airways
Emerald Airways	1987	2006
Euravia	1961	1964	renamed Britannia Airways
Euroair	1977	1987
Eurodirect	1994	1995
Euromanx	2002	2008
European Aviation Air Charter	1989	2008
Excalibur Airways	1992	1996
Falcon Airways	1958	1962
Flyglobespan	2002	2009	Bankruptcy
Flying Colours	1997	2000
First Choice Airways	2004	2009	merged with Thomsonfly to create Thomson Airways
Flyjet	2002	2006	became Silverjet
Flykeen Airways	1968	2005	to A2B Airways
Flightline (UK)	1988	2008	Contract passenger and ad-hoc charters
GB Airways	1931	2008	acquired by EasyJet
Gill Airways	1969	2001
Go Fly	1998	2003	acquired by EasyJet
HC Airlines	1978	2002
Handley Page Transport	1919	1924	formed part of Imperial Airways
Heavylift Cargo Airlines	1970s	2001	became part of Air Foyle HeavyLift
Hillman's Airways	1931	1935
Hunting-Clan Air Transport	1946	1960	to British United Airways
Imperial Airways	1924	1939	became British Overseas Airways Corporation
Independent Air Travel	1956
Instone Air Line	1919	1924
Inter European Airways	1988	1993	merged with Airtours International
Invicta International Airlines	1964	1981
Isle of Man Air Services	1937	1947
Janes Aviation	2006	2009
Jersey Airlines	1948	1962	to Silver City Airways
Jersey European Airways	1979	2000	became British European
JMC Air	2000	2003	renamed Thomas Cook Airlines
KLM UK	1980	2003	integrated into KLM Cityhopper
Laker Airways	1966	1982
Leisure International Airways	1988	1998	merged into Air 2000
Lloyd International Airways	1961	1972
Maersk UK	1983	2003
Manx Airlines	1982	2002
Meredith Air Transport	1952	1954	Became African Air Safaris
Morton Air Services	1945	1968
MyTravel Airways	1990	2007	merged into Thomas Cook Airlines
Northeast Airlines	1970	1976	merged into British Airways
Novair International Airways	1988	1990
Orion Airways	1979	1989	Blackbushe based Viking operator
Overseas Aviation	1955	1961
Paramount Airways	1989	1989
Prime Air	2001	2002
Princess Air	1989	1991	charter airline passenger/freight 2 aircraft
Railway Air Services	1933	1947	Nationalised and merged into BEA
Redcoat Air Cargo	1977	1982
Region Air	1985	1992	Scheduled passenger Southend to Brussels/Rotterdam/Paris
Rockhopper	2003	2006	renamed Blue Islands
Sabre Airways	1994	2001	renamed Excel Airways
Scimitar Airlines	1979	1982
Scottish Airlines	1946	1961	Prestwick based
Silver City Airways	1947	1962	became part of British United Air Ferries
Silverjet	2006	2008	Bankruptcy, business class only
SkySouth	2008	2009
Skyways Coach-Air Limited	1955	1972	renamed Skyways International, to Dan-Air
Skyways Limited	1946	1962	taken over by Euravia
Scottish Overseas, Domestic and International Airways (SODIA)		1960s	based at Prestwick
South West Aviation	1966	1973
Spartan Air Lines	1933	1935
Starways	1948	1963	bought by British Eagle
Tradair	1950s	1962	taken over by Channel Airways, Southend based, viking aircraft
Tradewinds Airways	1967	1990
Transglobe Airways	1959	1968
Transmeridian Air Cargo	1971	1981
UK International Airlines	2005	2007
United Airways Ltd	1934	1935
Virgin Sun	1998	2001	sold to Air 2000
Westminster Airways	1946	1950
World Airlines	1996	1996
XL Airways	1994	2008	Bankruptcy, was Sabre Airways
Zoom	2002	2008	Bankruptcy

See also

• List of defunct airlines

References

• Halford-MacLeod, Guy. (2006). British Airlines Volume 1: 1946-1951. UK: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0752436961. 
• Merton Jones, A. (1972). British Independent Airlines since 1946, Volume One. UK: LAAS International.