Britannia Airways - Boeing 737-200s
Background
If you lived in the UK, and were going on holiday (vacation) during the 1970s or 1980s, the odds were high you might be travelling on Britannia Airways, and on a Boeing 737-200, the backbone of this charter airline's fleet at the time.
Britannia's first 737 delivery July 7th 1968 was just the 37th delivered, and only the 23rd 737-200 (30 737-100s were built on the same line). It was also the first delivery of a 737-200 to a European airline (Lufthansa's early 737s were -100s). The first 50 737s built were manufactured at Boeing Field, while all 737s thereafter, and to date, have been manufactured at Renton.
From that first 1968 delivery, Britannia went on to operate 47 737-200s in total (one aircraft leased twice - so 46 unique individual aircraft), with the airline regularly leasing in extra aircraft, or leasing aircraft out on a seasonal basis. Britannia's eighth delivery (G-AXNC) on May 12th 1970 was the last to leave the fleet on March 24th 1994 after 23.9 years of service. The longest serving aircraft was the third delivered (G-AVRN) April 8th 1969, departing October 26th 1993 after 24.6 years of service. That aircraft would go on to serve another three airlines before retirement in December 1998.
The airline suffered no significant accidents or incidents with it's 737 fleet, although one aircraft on lease to COPA Panama (G-BGYL) crashed June 6th 1992 during a thunderstorm near Tocuti, Panama. The aircraft was registered in Panama for the lease, operated by COPA crews.
Two ex-Britannia 737-200s remain in service today, one in Africa and one in Indonesia. Two are stored, while 39 have been permanently retired from service, with most broken up or derelict in storage yards. Two additional aircraft were lost in accidents with other airlines, having since left Britannia service.
Fleet Profile
By summer 1970 Britannia had 9 737-200s in service, and this increased or remained steady annually by 0, 1 or 2 aircraft a year until reaching 17 by 1978. From 1979 to 1982 the fleet increased at a faster rate, peaking at 33 in 1982. The fleet then reduced modestly over the next two years, before a marked reduction to 23 in 1985. That year was economically poor across the industry, but an improved outlook saw the fleet increase again to 28 by 1987. Thereafter the fleet reduced by a few units annually to 20 aircraft in 1992. 5 more were removed by summer 1993 for a total of 15. 1993 was the last year of Britannia's summer 737-200 operations. The fleet was reduced to six by the end of 1993, with all remaining aircraft removed from service by March 1994.
Replacement
Although inheriting a modest fleet of 737-300s from Britannia's take over of Orion Airways in January 1989, these were all disposed of by the end of 1992, and Britannia elected not to order Boeing's latest 737 models. Instead, Britannia turned to the capable 757-200 to replace the 737-200, and by summer 1994 the fleet consisted of 19 757-200s and 10 767-200s. The 757s started being delivered from 1992 (although a couple were leased prior to that).
The successor - Thomson Airways
Britannia's name disappeared into the history books November 1st 2005, when it adopted the name of it's low cost subsidiary Thomsonfly. On November 1st 2008, the airline was re-branded Thomson Airways. As of now Thomson Airways (now the world's largest charter airline - and due to be re-named again late 2017 to TUI Airlines UK) still operates 14 757s, which are expected to be replaced in the next two years or so with 737 MAX 8 and later MAX 10s. TUI Group has 70 such aircraft on order for operation by it's European affiliated airlines. The airline currently operates 35 737-800s, while the long haul fleet now consists of four 767-300ERs, 9 787-8s and 2 787-9s.
Britannia's 737-200 fleet - illustrated
Three major liveries (some varied and non-standard) were seen on Britannia's 737-200s. The original delivery livery, as seen below on G-AVRL, a mid 70s through mid 80s revised livery, which was refined over time, and finally a significantly modernized livery that moved Britannia into the 90s. Temporary hybrid liveries could often be seen on aircraft leased in from other airlines, or those returning off lease.
737-204 G-AVRL "Sir Ernest Shackleton" MSN 19709 L/N 38 F/F 6/28/68
Delivered New 7/7/68, Sold 4/1/86 (17.7 years)
Retired Mojave, CA 12/93
737-204 G-AVRM "James Watt" MSN 19710 L/N 54 F/F 8/9/68
Delivered New 8/9/68 Sold 1/30/86 (17.5 years)
Written Off Tucson, AZ America West Airlines N198AW 12/30/89
737-204 G-AVRN "Captain James Cook" MSN 19711 L/N 155 F/F 3/29/69
Delivered New 4/8/69 Returned off lease 10/26/93 (24.6 years)
Retired Taipei, Taiwan 6/00
737-204 G-AVRO "Sir Francis Drake" MSN 19712 L/N 162 F/F 4/23/69
Delivered New 4/28/69 Sold 5/1/86 (17.0 years)
Retired Lima, Peru 7/04
737-204 G-AWSY "General James Woolfe" MSN 20236 L/N 166 F/F 5/8/69
Delivered New 5/12/69 Returned off lease 10/8/93 (24.4 years)
Retired Clark Air Base 12/03
737-204C G-AXNA "Robert Clive of India" MSN 20282 L/N 245 F/F 3/13/70
Delivered New 3/17/70 Sold 9/18/90 (20.5 years)
Retired Campo Grande, Brasil 4/11
737-204C G-AXNB "Charles Darwin" MSN 20389 L/N 251 F/F 4/14/70
Delivered New 4/17/70 Sold 2/1/90 (19.8 years)
Crashed on take off from Buenos Aires, LAPA LV-WRZ 8/31/99
737-204 G-AXNC "Isambard Kingdom Brunel" MSN 20417 L/N 255 F/F 5/5/70
Delivered New 5/12/70 Sold 3/24/94 (23.9 years)
Retired Santiago, Chile 12/09
737-222 G-AZNZ "City of Nottingham" MSN 19074 L/N 95 F/F 11/15/68
Acquired Used (from United) 3/1/72 Sold 3/31/85 (13.1 years)
Retired 5/02
737-204 G-BADP "Sir Arthur Whitten Brown" MSN 20632 L/N 316 F/F 1/4/73
Delivered New 1/10/73 Returned off lease 11/5/92 (19.8 years)
Retired Santiago, Chile 3/07
737-204 G-BADR "Captain Robert Falcon Scott" MSN 20633 L/N 318 F/F 2/16/73
Delivered New 3/12/73 Returned off lease 11/5/92 (19.7 years)
Retired Santiago, Chile 8/06
737-204 G-BAZG "Florence Nightingale" MSN 20806 L/N 338 F/F 1/15/74
Delivered New 1/31/74 Sold 9/28/91 (17.7 years)
Retired Jakarta, Indonesia 3/06
737-204 G-BAZH "Sir Frederick Handley Page" MSN 20807 L/N 341 F/F 2/8/74
Delivered New 2/15/74 Returned off lease 11/12/93 (19.8 years)
Retired Walnut Ridge, AR 2/06
737-204 G-BAZI "Sir Walter Raleigh" MSN 20808 L/N 342 F/F 2/14/74
Delivered New 3/18/74 Sold 3/28/85 (11.0 years)
Retired 7/06
737-204 G-BECG "Amy Johnson" MSN 21335 L/N 487 F/F 3/31/77
Delivered New 4/13/77 Returned off lease 11/18/93 (16.6 years)
Retired 10/03
737-204 G-BECH "Viscount Montgomery of Alamein" MSN 21336 L/N 489 F/F 4/27/77
Delivered New 5/6/77 Returned off lease 11/8/93 (16.5 years)
Retired 12/04
737-204 G-BFVA "Sir John Alcock" MSN 21693 L/N 541 F/F 11/7/78
Delivered New 11/20/78 Sold 8/2/90 (11.7 years)
Retired Jakarta, Indonesia 6/10
737-204 G-BFVB "Sir Thomas Sopwith" MSN 21694 L/N 542 F/F 11/13/78
Delivered New 11/28/78 Returned off lease 10/28/93 (14.9 years)
Retired Walnut Ridge, AR 3/06
737-2P6 G-BGFS MSN 21359 L/N 500 F/F 9/2/77
Leased (used) 12/15/78 Returned off lease 12/31/79 (1.0 years)
Retired Goodyear, AZ 5/06
737-219 G-BGNW "George Stephenson" MSN 21131 L/N 428 F/F 8/1/75
Leased (used) 4/15/79 Returned off lease 6/4/90 (11.1 years)
Retired Santiago 11/07
737-204 G-BGYJ "Sir Barnes Wallis" MSN 22057 L/N 621 F/F 11/21/79
Delivered New 1/7/80 Returned off lease 3/15/94 (14.2 years)
In Service: Express Air PK-TXY
737-204 G-BGYK "Reginald J Mitchell" MSN 22058 L/N 629 F/F 12/20/79
Delivered New 1/14/80 Returned off lease 3/14/94 (14.2 years)
737-204 G-BGYL "Jean Batten" MSN 22059 L/N 631 F/F 1/15/80
Delivered New 2/18/80 Leased Out 4/10/92 (12.2 years)
Crashed 6/6/92 while on lease (from Britannia) to COPA Panama HP-1205CMP
737-2U4 G-BOSL "Sir Frank Whittle" MSN 22161 L/N 652 F/F 3/21/80
Delivered New 4/17/80 Returned off lease 10/31/83 (3.5 years)
Retired Johannesburg 6/09
No photograph available
737-204 G-BHWE "Sir Sidney Camm" MSN 22364 L/N 696 F/F 8/26/80
Delivered New 9/9/80 Returned off lease 12/15/93 (13.3 years)
Retired Surabaya 12/06
737-204 G-BHWF "Lord Brabazon of Tara" MSN 22365 L/N 700 F/F 9/10/80
Delivered New 12/1/80 Returned off lease 12/13/93 (13.0 years)
Retired Lagos 4/07
737-2Q8 TF-VLK MSN 22453 L/N 748 F/F 3/20/81
Leased (used) 4/21/81 Returned off lease 11/8/81 (0.6 years)
Retired 2/16
737-2U4 G-OSLA "Sir Geoffrey de Havilland" MSN 22576 L/N 761 F/F 4/24/81
Delivered New 5/8/81 Sold 11/1/83 (2.5 years)
Retired Surabaya 12/13
737-2K2 PH-TVR MSN 22025 L/N 647 F/F 3/4/80
Leased (used) 6/15/81 Returned off lease 4/15/82 (0.8 years)
Retired Prestwick 11/04
No Photograph
737-248 TF-VLM MSN 21715 L/N 579 F/F 5/30/79
Leased (used) 4/2/82 Returned off lease 10/15/82 (0.5 years)
Retired Nairobi 6/12
737-204 G-BJCT "Hon H C Rolls" MSN 22638 L/N 858 F/F 3/23/82
Delivered New 4/6/82 Returned off lease 11/3/93 (11.6 years)
Retired Lagos 4/07
737-2K2C G-BKBT MSN 20943 L/N 405 F/F 3/19/75
Leased (used) 6/10/82 Returned off lease 10/30/82 (0.4 years)
Stored Pondok Cabe
No Photograph
737-204 G-BJCU "Sir Henry Royce" MSN 22639 L/N 863 F/F 4/7/82
Delivered New 4/20/82 Returned off lease 3/1/94 (11.9 years)
Retired Prestwick 12/04
737-204 G-BJCV "Viscount Trenchard" MSN 22640 L/N 867 F/F 4/16/82
Delivered New 4/30/82 Returned off lease 1/15/94 (11.7 years)
Stored 3/14
737-296 G-BJZW MSN 22516 L/N 759 F/F 4/14/81
Leased (used) 5/1/82 Returned off lease 11/5/82 (0.5 years)
Retired Santiago 2/10
737-296 G-BJZV MSN 22277 L/N 675 F/F 6/10/80
Leased (used) 5/1/82 Returned off lease 11/5/82 (0.5 years)
Retired Roswell, NM 6/08
737-248 TF-VLM MSN 21715 L/N 579 F/F 5/30/79
Leased (used) 12/22/82 Returned off lease 3/31/83 (0.3 years)
Retired Nairobi 6/12
See earlier photograph (leased twice)
737-204 G-BKHE "Sir Francis Chichester" MSN 22966 L/N 946 F/F 2/11/83
Delivered New 2/25/83 Returned off lease 2/15/94 (11.0 years)
Retired Dublin 10/04
737-204 G-BKHF "Sir Alliott Verdon Roe" MSN 22967 L/N 953 F/F 3/15/83
Delivered New 3/21/83 Re-registered G-BTZF 4/91 Returned off lease 3/10/94 (11.0 years)
Retired Prestwick 12/04
737-2D6 G-BMMZ MSN 20544 L/N 290 F/F 11/19/71
Leased (used) 3/27/86 Returned off lease 12/30/91 (5.8 years)
Retired Toulouse 3/04
737-247 OO-PLH MSN 20128 L/N 145 F/F 3/13/69
Leased (used) 5/1/86 Returned off lease 10/23/86 (0.5 years)
Retired Lima, Peru 7/04
No Photograph
737-2E1 EI-BDY MSN 21112 L/N 424 F/F 7/2/75
Leased (used) 4/12/87 Re-registered G-BNYT 11/87 Returned off lease 3/19/88 (0.9 years)
Retired Cordoba, Argentina 12/05
737-2A3 G-BNIA MSN 22737 L/N 830 F/F 1/5/82
Leased (used) 4/13/87 Returned off lease 10/30/87 (0.5 years)
Retired Montevideo 10/13
737-2T5 G-BJBJ MSN 22632 L/N 847 F/F 2/22/82
Leased (used) 4/15/87 Returned off lease 10/31/87 (0.5 years)
In Service: Candian Airways Congo TN-AIX
737-219 G-BJXJ MSN 22657 L/N 846 F/F 2/23/82
Leased (used) 10/29/87 Returned off lease 9/14/92 (4.9 years)
Retired Casablanca 3/02
737-2A3 G-BONM MSN 22738 L/N 834 F/F 1/12/82
Leased (used) 5/3/88 Returned off lease 11/5/88 (0.5 years)
Retired Opa Locka/Miami, FL 12/09
737-2K2 G-BPLA "Sir Stanley Matthews" MSN 22906 L/N 888 F/F 6/15/82
Leased (used) 5/1/89 Returned off lease 4/30/93 (4.0 years)
Retired Prestwick 10/04
My Britannia experiences...
...are limited to three flights in the 80s. The first was a 737-200 (G-BECG) December 9th 1986 from Manchester to Tenerife South, which saw the 737 operating at it's absolute range limit. 2,500 miles on an aircraft with a 2,600 mile range. This was my first (of 29) flights on a 737-200, the last being Washington Dulles to Hartford on United May 2nd 2001. The return from Tenerife was on a then one year old Orion 737-300 (my first of 83 flights on the 737-300, the last being September 19th 2006 Dallas DFW to Denver on United).
Manchester Airport Viewing Park (Information & Directions)
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