By: Rob J M Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no One of our first fleet lists was the one of the airline company Aeroput (meaning ‘Airway’ in Serbian) and thus it is now time to write a little bit more about this company. It took some time before an airline company was formed in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but after the foundation the company had a steady development into one of the main carriers in the region, flying to other countries like Austria, Greece and Czechoslovakia. In this article we focus on the history of Drustvo za Vazdusni Saobracaj A...
An Englishman’s dream:
The North Sea Air Mail Express Newcastle – Stavanger By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no It has taken many years and numerous attempts to realise the opening of an air service between Norway and the United Kingdom. Both Norwegians and Englishmen have throughout the twenties and thirties of the last Century tried, but it was an Englishmen pursuing his dream that would follow in the footsteps of the Norwegian aviator Tryggve Gran and inaugurate an air service across the North Sea. The first attempts from the Norwegian side At the formation of Det Norske Luftfartrederi AS – DNL in 1918, the...
Handley Page O/400, G-EAKE in Norway
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no In this article we highlight the history of the Handley Page O/400, G-EAKE. It was one of many Handley Page O/400s that spread its wings across Europe in order to establish political influence in the aviation of neutral states. The particular aircraft was involved in the race for the first flight between Kristiania (Oslo) and Stockholm. It was important for the young nation (as Norway was) to show its flag abroad. What an aircraft! The aircraft I talk about here was the Handley Page O/400. What an aircraft! Personally, I regard this huge twin-engined biplane...
British Aerial Transport F.K.26 ‘Commercial’
World's first aircraft specifically designed for commercial aviation, 1919 By: Henri Kaper For: www.europeanairlines.no Introduction by Rob Mulder, webmaster: The BAT F.K.26 Commercial is the world’s first aircraft sepcifically designed for commercial aviation. Henri Kaper wrote an article for the webiste of the Koolhoven Aeroplane Foundation and we would like to let as many as possible get to know about this achievment. With the permission of Henri Kaper we have published the article on our website as well. World's first aircraft specifically designed for commercial aviation, 1919 When the end of World War I was in sight, aircraft builders saw...
Alpar, Flugplatzgenossenschaft, Bern (1929-1936)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no This small Swiss airlines company was formed in 1929 and managed to survive the turbulent Second World War. Its fleet consisted of many smaller type of aircraft, but its history is enjoyable reading. It was to connect the city of Bern won the international network and to organise joy ride flights and other flying activities from the airport of Bern – Belpmoos. Its history can be divided into two periods: 1929-1936, when it was called Alpar, Flugplatzgenossenschaft and 1936 – 1947 Alpar, Schweizerische Luftverkehrs AG. On March 5, 1929 the Alpar, Flugplatzgenossenschaft - Bern, Alpar-Bern...
Early airline companies in Spain (1918-1924)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no One of Europe's largest monarchies is the Kingdom of Spain (España). The long time preceding the Great War (1914-18) Spain was one of the leading powers in Europe and for that matter in the world. The country remained neutral during the Great War and suffered domestically during the period of 1923-30 under the dictatorship of General Primo de Riveras. After the forced abdication of King Alfonsa XIII in 1931 the Spanish Republic (República Española) was proclaimed. The upraise of Nationalists under the leadership of General Sanjurjo and General Franco in July 1936 led to the...
Airline companies in Romania (1918-1945)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no The history of civil aviation in Romania has been more than just interesting. There were four airline companies in Romania in the period up to 1945. These companies will be described here in full detail. Civil Aviation and Civil Air Register Rumania had an interesting aviation history. Despite the dark period after the Second World War, much information has been preserved on the development of civil aviation and the aircraft construction. Recent publication on Rumanian aircraft manufacturers has showed, that much is still unknown. One of the greatest names in the pre-Great War period is...
Serviços Aéreos Portugueses Limitada – SAP (1927-1945)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no In 1922 the Junkers Flugzeugwerk AG already made its first attempt to enter the Portuguese market, when it offered the Companhia Portuguesa de Navegação Aerea Lda Junkers Type F (J 13) against 50% of their value. A first sight of a Junkers-aircraft in Portugal did not occur until November 1925, when the Swedish registered Junkers G 24, S-AAAY visited Lisboa. The visit was in 1927 followed by the foundation of an airline company in Portugal by Junkers. The Serviços Aéreos Portugueses Lda, known as SAP, has been founded on May 19, 1927 with a stock...
Towarzystwo Komunikacji Lotniczej Aero Spólka Akcyjna – S A Aero (1925-1928)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no The start of the company In the spring of 1921 the Franco-Romanian airline company Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne – CFRNA opened the air service Wien – Praha – Warszawa operated in connection with the service to and from Strasbourg and Paris. The route to Poland was also opened to secure the French influence in the new eastern European countries. But the initiatives after the liquidation of the Polish airline company Aero Targ Spólka Akcyjna were kept alive in Poznań and in February 1925 the Towarzystwo Komunikacji Lotniczej Aero Spólka Akcyjna (Company of the Communication...
N.V. Nederlandsche Wereldverkeer Maatschappij – NWM (1922-1934)
By Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no One of the most interesting airline companies in Europe was the Dutch Junkers-affiliated airline company N. V. Nederlandsche Wereldverkeer Maatschappij – NWM. This company had a long birth. The first plans were made in 1919 and discussion finally led to the formation of this airline company. The collapse of the Junkers-empire in Germany in the autumn of 1925 led to the end of the company. The entry of Junkers in the Netherlands The company behind this airline company was the German aircraft factory Junkers Flugzeugwerk AG - Jfa. The first attempts dated back to the...