Founded in June 1946 and incorporated a couple of months later as East Anglican Flying Services, Channel Airways was one of the first post-WWII passenger carriers. Reginald “Jack” Jones, a former Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron leader, initially wanted to start an airline for joy rides. However, it quickly became a passenger carrier with flights to multiple destinations before the end of the year.

Inception

East Anglican Flying Services began their journey with a single small aircraft, operating from a landing strip close to the seaside town of Herne Bay. Within months, the company started air taxi operations across the United Kingdom with the same plane. But, in January of the following year, Jack moved his business to the recently reopened Southend Airport, establishing their first regular passenger service between Southend and Rochester.

As the airline grew, it began offering more destinations further afield. This included East Anglican flights to the coastal city of Ostend, Belgium, on the other side of the North Sea, and to Jersey. More business also meant acquiring several new aircraft, such as de Havilland Dragon Rapides, to facilitate the mixture of charter and joy flights.

Unfortunately, the company was forced to downsize at the start of the 1950s due to government restrictions, causing general issues for the local travel industry. Despite this, by 1953, East Anglican Flying Services was able to get back on track, picking up a few de Havilland Doves and a couple of freighter aircraft. Passenger tickets for East Anglican flights in the 1950s began featuring the name “Channel Airways” even though they hadn’t officially changed their company name.

Dramatic growth through the 1960s

From the late 1950s to early 1960s, the carrier got its hands on some notable aircraft, like Vickers Vikings, Douglas DC-3s, and a DC-4. In 1960 specifically, East Anglican transported over 100,000 passengers from their hubs at Southend, Rochester, and Ipswich to places like Rotterdam, Ostend, Paris, and the Channel Islands. But, finally, in 1962, the airline formally changed its name to Channel Airways. Later that year, they acquired local Southend-based competitor Tradair and, along with it, their Vickers Vikings and Viscounts.

This would not be enough, though, and as their inclusive tour charters, general passenger services, and cargo operations developed, Channel purchased several Viscount 700s, the majority of them being ex-BEA (British European Airways) airliners. Their fleet opened up even further, including four BAC One-Elevens and five Hawker Siddeley Tridents.

Channel Airways also acquired 11 Viscount 800s from Continental Airlines. As noted by various sources, the carrier adopted much of Continental’s Golden Jet livery onto their other aircraft, but with their own name instead. The mid to late-1960s was an excellent period for the carrier, recording annual profits of over £500,000 and becoming a significant player in the country. But this would be short-lived.

A bitter end

From 1970 to 1972, Channel Airways suffered unfortunate multi-pronged financial stress. The Sterling had lost some value, the carrier had to cancel various aircraft orders, and passengers were increasingly interested in traveling further to the Mediterranean, for which Channel’s Tridents did not compare to competitor services, for example, Britannia, which flew the Boeing 737. On top of this, as they relied heavily on seasonal cash flow, winter months were bleaker than ever.

By early 1972 the carrier was finished without a buyer. Operations ceased at the end of February, with their assets sold to a few airlines like Dan Air, British Airways, and Alidair. It was a tragic end for a private carrier that transformed from operating joy ride services on a light aircraft to many regional destinations with a significant fleet of airliners.

Did you ever fly with Channel Airways? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below.

Sources: ATDB Aero, Airline History, Air Tickets History, Yesterday’s Airlines (1), Yesterday’s Airlines (2)