HISTORY OF CAMBRIAN AIRWAYS — Cambrian / British Airways – The Welsh airline 1935–1976
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Characteristics
| ISBN-10 | 0905117565 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Perfect paperback |
| Condition | Like NEW |
| Author(s) | T. G. Staddon |
| Publisher | British Airways Museum Collection |
| Number of pages | 112 |
| Published date | 1979 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Size | 15 x 21 x 0.5 cm |
| Categorie(s) | • AVIATION CIVILE • ESSAIS - OUVRAGES THÉMATIQUES |
Description
You don’t have to be crazy to start an airline—but it helps. It is one of the most expensive and unpredictable ventures imaginable, yet few businesses give the same sense of achievement.
Airlines today tend to be state-owned or state-sponsored, serving as international public relations symbols for their countries. Ironically, many emerging nations prioritize acquiring a Boeing 747 before even building a parliament.
However, the modern pattern of civil aviation was shaped by comparatively small independent companies, some of which are now part of British Airways. The state corporation itself is the result of numerous mergers: Imperial Airways and the pre-war British Airways were formed by combining smaller airlines, and these two later merged to create BOAC. Similarly, Cambrian Airways, after many years as an independent Welsh airline, became part of British Airways, losing the dragon emblem on its aircraft.
The reaction of the Welsh people to the disappearance of the dragon is telling. During the 1958 financial crisis, when Cambrian Airways was on the verge of closure and had suspended operations with its aircraft up for sale, locals cared less about ownership than about maintaining air services. Despite no government support, Wales had a national airline for 40 years, largely because of public pride and, above all, the loyalty and enthusiasm of its staff.
Forty years is a remarkable lifespan in aviation, considering that only 75 years earlier, Orville Wright made his first powered flight—covering 120 feet in 12 seconds. No other airline in the UK has operated under the same name for four decades. While a British Airways existed in 1935, it was independent and later absorbed into BOAC, with the name dormant until 1972. Cambrian Air Services Ltd stands out for its longevity, resilience, and the dedication of those who kept the Red Dragon flying.