Railway Air Services

Railway Air Services was a British airline formed in March 1934 by four railway companies and Imperial Airways. The airline was a domestic airline operating routes within the United Kingdom linking up with Imperial's services.

The railways were the "big four": London Midland & Scottish, London & North Eastern, Great Western Railway and Southern Railway.

One of the more important routes flown was between London and Scotland (London-Birmingham-Manchester-Belfast-Glasgow). The airline's main operating base was Croydon Airport. The airline was nationalised and became part of British European Airways in 1947.

Second World War

In 1939 the operation of civil aircraft was restricted and part of the Railway Air Services fleet was placed under government control. The aircraft were involved in communications flights for the military within the British Isles. By 1940 the Royal Air Force had taken over all the communications tasks and the airline returned to flying routes 'of national importance'.

Nationalisation

In 1946 the British government formed the British European Airways Corporation a state-owned airline. The airline had a monopoly of scheduled air services within the United Kingdom and to continental Europe. Railway Air Services operated all its services on behalf of British European Airlines until it ceased operations on 31 January 1947.

Aircraft operated

• Avro XIX
• de Havilland Fox Moth
• de Havilland Dragon
• de Havilland Express
• Douglas Dakota
• Junkers Ju 52
• Short Scion
• Spartan Cruiser II
• Spartan Cruiser III
• Westland Wessex

References

• Stroud, John (1987). Railway Air Services. Ian Allen. ISBN 0-7110-1743-3.