Difference between revisions of "Category:Eagle Airways Ltd"

'''Eagle Airways Ltd''' was formed as Eagle Aviation Ltd by a former wartime pilot, Harold Bamberg, on April 1948.The initial fleet comprised two wartime [[:Category: Handley Page Halifax |Halifax Mk 8]] bombers converted for carrying fruit and vegetables. Both aircraft saw extensive service along with a further two others during the Berlin Airlift. The airline acquired Air Freight Ltd with three more Halifaxes later the same year. Eagle acquired three [[:Category: Avro York|Avro York]] aircraft in late 1949, followed by eight others, and used these until early 1955 for both passenger and freight charters. In1953 Eagle Aviation purchased a large fleet of  [[:Category: Vickers Viking|Vickers Viking]]s from  [[:Category: British European Airways|BEA]] to run schedule services in a new company named '''Eagle Aiways'''. Eagle Aviation keeping in charge of all non-scheduled operations, including trooping flights. In 1958, '''Eagle Airways''' acquired the first three of an eventual six [[:Category: Douglas DC-6|Douglas DC-6]]s for long-range charter and scheduled operations. In March 1960, the Cunard Steamship Company bought a 60% shareholding resulting in a change of name to Cunard Eagle Airways. The support from this new shareholder enabled Cunard Eagle to become the first British independent airline to operate pure jet airliners, as a result of a £6 million order for two new Boeing 707-420 passenger aircraft. The company changed its name to [[:Category: British Eagle International Airlines | British Eagle International Airlines]] in 1963.