8/16/1964: Euravia Rebrands as Britannia Airways
Today, in 1964, the iconic charter carrier Britannia Airways (BY) is born after the rebranding of Euravia.
Today, in 1964, the iconic charter carrier Britannia Airways (BY) is born after the rebranding of Euravia.
DALLAS — Today, in in 1964, the iconic charter carrier Britannia Airways (BY) is born after the rebranding of Euravia.
Euravia commenced operations on May 5, 1962. With a fleet of three Lockheed Constellations, the airline operated flights on behalf of Inclusive Tour company Universal Sky Holidays from its London Luton (LTN) base.
The new carrier was an overnight success. In October that year, Euravia purchased rival Skyways for just £1. The takeover expanded the fleet with three more Constellations and four Avro Yorks.
In 1964 BOAC put a number of its Bristol Britannia 102s up for sale. Euravia was looking to grow the business further and management decided to purchase six examples at a cost of £1 million.
Jed Williams, one of the airlines founders had always considered Euravia a "lousy name for an airline." He and co-founder Ted Langton, choose to rebrand the carrier as Britannia Airways to mark the arrival of these new airliners.
BY would go on to become the world's largest holiday airline and one of the most respected brands in the industry. It became the first charter carrier to introduce allocated seating, hot inflight meals, and free inflight entertainment. They were also the first airline in Europe to operate both the Boeing 737-200 and 767.
The illustrious Britannia name flew on until 2004, when it was rebranded as Thomsonfly. Today, the airline is known simply as TUI Airways (BY), and is the fourth largest carrier in the UK.
Featured image: Britannia Airways was once the world's largest holiday airline and one of the most respected brands in the industry. Britannia Airways Boeing 757-200 lands at Bristol Airport, England, in 2004. Photo: Arpingstone, Own work, Public Domain
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