Air Faisal

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Air Faisal
IATA
ICAO
Callsign
(none) KV FAISAL
Founded1975
Ceased operations1978
Fleet size3
HeadquartersFulwood, Lancashire
Key peoplePatel Raj, Iqbal Raj (owners)

Air Faisal is a defunct cargo airline based in the United Kingdom, which operated a fleet of Bristol Britannia freighters during the 1970s.

History

Initial Operations

Air Faisal was founded in 1975 by two British Indian businessmen (Patel and Iqbal Raj), with the intention of operating charter flights between

CAA, as Air Faisal's founders argued that, since they were operating the charters on behalf of Airwork India, this was not required. A compromise was negotiated which led to the aircraft being operated as with Air India
flight numbers.

In February 1977, another Britannia (G-BEMZ) was purchased by the company, and in October of that year the CAA finally granted an AOC. A third Britannia, (5Y-AYR), was leased from African Safari Airways, and used to fly fresh fruit to Birmingham from Kenya.[1]

Downfall

On 10 August 1978, G-BEMZ returned to Birmingham from

HM Revenue & Customs officers searched the aircraft and found around 100 kg of cannabis hidden in the aircraft, leading to its confiscation. Furthermore, corrosion caused by animal excrement from cattle flights to Milan made the remaining Britannia, G-BDLZ, no longer fit for purpose, leading to the aircraft being sold and eventually scrapped at Luton Airport in 1979. The airline's AOC was revoked by the CAA on September 7, 1978, and Patel was eventually convicted of smuggling cannabis resin into the United Kingdom.[2][3] The impounded Britannia (G-BDLZ) was sold to Redcoat Air Cargo, and then to Katale Aero Transport.[4][5]


Destinations

Main article: List of Air Faisal destinations
 United Kingdom
 India
  • Bombay Airport
 United Arab Emirates
 Greece
 Cyprus
  • Larnaka Airport

Fleet

The Air Faisal fleet consisted of the following aircraft over the airline's lifetime:

Air Faisal Fleet
Aircraft Total Routes Notes
Bristol Britannia 3 Cargo-only aircraft

Incidents and accidents

, There were no incidents or accidents, fatal or otherwise, involving Air Faisal.

References

  1. OCLC 49832863
    .
  2. ^ "Air Faisal history from Europe, United Kingdom". Airline History. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Air Faisal". Flight International. September 1976.
  4. ^ "AirHistory.net - Air Faisal aircraft photos". www.airhistory.net. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  5. ISBN 9780851304564
    .
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