The idea of creating British Caledonian Airways came about following the release of the Edwards Report in 1969. Looking ahead to the United Kingdom’s civil aviation needs in the 1970s and the future, the report titled “British Air Transport in the Seventies” was the first comprehensive report into the state of British aviation done for thirty years.
The report recommended the creation of a privately owned airline that could take on state-owned monopolies like British European Airways (BEA) and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Calling it a “Second Force,” the plan was to create competition for BEA and BOAC on scheduled domestic and international routes.
The new airline selects Gatwick as its base
On November 30, 1970 (St. Andrew’s Day), Caledonian Airways bought British United Airways (BUA) from British and Commonwealth (B&C) for £6.9 million. The enlarged airline also purchased a new BAC 111, which B&C had leased to BUA, for a further £5 million.
Now calling itself British Caledonian Airways, the new airline decided to establish its headquarters and central hub at London Gatwick Airport (LGW) near the town of Crawley in West Sussex, 28 miles south of central London. Having acquired British United Airways planes in the takeover, British Caledonian’s fleet comprised the following aircraft:
- 7 x Boeing 707s
- 4 x Vickers VC-10s
- 8 x BAC 111-200s
- 12 x BAC 111-500s
All aircraft acquired from BUA were repainted in British Caledonian livery featuring a Scottish Lion Rampant on the aircraft’s tail. Also, in line with Caledonian’s policy of naming its planes after famous Scots or Scottish places, the aircraft were given new names. This was a tradition that Caledonian Airways carried out throughout its 17 years of operations.
With a share capital of £12 million and a workforce of around 4,400, British Caledonian was at the time the United Kingdom’s…