Belgian International Air Services
| Belgian International Air Services | |
|---|---|
|
|
| IATA code : | without |
| ICAO code : | AP |
| Call sign : | ALPHA PAPA |
| Founding: | 1959 |
| Operation stopped: | 1973 as an airline, 1980 as a leasing company |
| Seat: |
Antwerp , Belgium
|
| Home airport : | Antwerp airport |
| Fleet size: | 2 (1973) |
| Aims: | international charter flights |
| Belgian International Air Services ceased operations in 1973 as an airline and in 1980 as a leasing company. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation. |
|
Belgian International Air Services ( BIAS for short) was a Belgian airline that operated international charter flights and cargo transport. In addition, she rented her planes to other airlines. The company stopped its own flight operations in the spring of 1973 and then remained active in the leasing business. The leasing company was dissolved in 1980.
history
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Belgian International Air Services ( BIAS ), based in Antwerp , was founded on July 1, 1959 by entrepreneur Charles Van Antwerp. The company's first aircraft was a Douglas DC-4 . Operations began on July 7, 1959 with a charter flight from Antwerp to London Gatwick . In December 1959, BIAS acquired another Douglas DC-4. Both aircraft were transferred to the Republic of the Congo in 1961 and used there for a long time on behalf of the UN and the airline Air Congo . The Republic of the Congo also used a Douglas DC-4 as a government aircraft in 1965. In March 1963, BIAS leased its first Douglas DC-6 from the Belgian airline Sabena . By the mid-1960s, the company put four more aircraft of this type into service. Belgian International Air Services used the aircraft for occasional services (ad hoc charter) and freight transports within Europe. At times, the aircraft were also leased to other companies, including the Swiss company Balair .
In July 1965 acquired BIAS one investments in the Libyan Libyan National Airways (short Linair ) and seven machines of the type Douglas DC-3 , which Sabena previously for Linair had operated. These aircraft were rented out to the Libyan subsidiary on a long-term basis and used in cargo charter for the oil industry. In addition, the company leased a De Havilland DH.104 Dove from 1967 and a Fokker F-27 from 1968 to Linair .
From August 28, 1967, scheduled flights were made on behalf of Sabena with a De Havilland DH.114 Heron between Rotterdam and Eindhoven . From 1968 to 1972 BIAS used Fokker F-27s for Sabena , which were then leased to them on a long-term basis. In March 1971, the company acquired a Sud Aviation Caravelle jet aircraft from United Air Lines in order to take up tourist charter flights (IT charter). At the same time, the last self-used propeller aircraft were decommissioned.
At the beginning of 1972 the shipping company Compagnie Maritime Belge bought the company . The Sud Aviation Caravelle was sold at the same time and replaced by two Douglas DC-8s acquired by KLM , which were used on charter flights to the Mediterranean in the summer of 1972 under the new company name BIAS International . The Compagnie Maritime Belge also took a majority stake in the Belgian Delta Air Transport ( DAT ) in February 1973 and redefined the areas of responsibility of the two airlines: While Delta Air Transport remained as an airline, BIAS International was converted into a leasing company. In the spring of 1973 the company ceded its two remaining Douglas DC-8s to DAT and ceased its own flight operations.
After the flight operations were stopped, BIAS International remained as a leasing company, but did not acquire any new aircraft in the period that followed. Between 1974 and 1976 the company operated under the name BIAS Overseas . The leasing contracts with Sabena and the Libyan Linair expired in the mid-1970s. The company was then able to rent a Fokker F-27 to the French Air Alpes for five years . After this contract expired, the company was dissolved in 1980.
Incidents
- On November 29, 1964, a Douglas DC-4 of Air Congo ( aircraft registration number OO-DEP ) crashed after taking off in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). The aircraft leased from Belgian International Air Services had previously collided with an oil drum that was lying on the runway. Parts of the right horizontal stabilizer were torn off. Six people were killed in the accident. Another passenger later succumbed to burn injuries in the hospital (see also Air Congo flight accident involving a Douglas DC-4 ) .
- On February 18, 1966, a Douglas DC-6B (OO-ABG) had an accident while landing at Milan-Malpensa airport . At the time of the accident, visibility was poor. The machine, which started in Brussels, was loaded with 214 calves. The four occupants of the cargo plane were killed in the accident.
- On March 28, 1969, a Douglas DC-3 (OO-SBH) made a belly landing in the Libyan desert, about 155 kilometers east of Jakharrad. The machine was written off as a total loss. The 17 inmates were uninjured.
- In July 1971 (exact date not yet available) crashed a Douglas DC-3 (OO-SBC) on the airport Benghazi ( Libya damaged beyond repair) and was. Nothing is known about personal injury.
fleet
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In the course of its history the company operated the following types of aircraft:
- Cessna 310
- De Havilland DH.104 Dove
- De Havilland DH.114 Heron
- Douglas DC-3 and C-47
- Douglas DC-4
- Douglas DC-6A and DC-6B
- Douglas DC-8-32 (operated from 1972 to 1973 under the company name BIAS International )
- Fokker F-27
- Sud Aviation Caravelle 6R
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b SkyStef's Aviation Page, Belgian International Air Services [1]
- ↑ Flight International, December 10, 1964 [2]
- ↑ Flight International, April 15, 1965 [3]
- ^ Leisure Airlines of Europe, K. Vomhof, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2001
- ↑ Flight International, April 13, 1967 [4]
- ^ Encyclopedia of African Airlines, Ben R. Guttery, Jefferson 1998
- ↑ jp aircraft markings 72
- ↑ jp airline fleets 74
- ↑ jp airline fleets 75
- ↑ jp airline-fleets, 1978 edition
- ↑ jp airline-fleets international, Edition 80
- ↑ ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No. 16-III Circular 82-AN / 69, page 125 ff.
- ^ Accident report DC-6B OO-ABG , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 26, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-3 OO-SBH , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 26, 2019.
- ^ Accident report DC-3 OO-SBC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 26, 2019.
- ↑ jp aircraft-markings, various annual editions
