1947 British European Airways advertisement with a Vickers Viking piston-engined airliner

The airline was established just after WW2 on 1 January 1946 and lasted until 31 March 1974 when it was absorbed into British Airways, see earlier posts.

Between August and October 1946, BEA took delivery of the first 11 of an eventual 83 Vickers Viking piston-engined airliners. These were BEA's first new aircraft, which it leased from the UK government. The first Viking revenue service departed Northolt for Copenhagen on 1 September 1946.