UTOPIA AIRPORT: UNITED ARAB AIRLINES -VICKERS VISCOUNT OPERATIONS

MISRAIR-UNITED ARAB AIRLINES VISCOUNT OPERATIONS

B&W advertising of MISRAIR published in Greece

MISRAIR ordered 3 Vickers viscounts in March 1954 (Flight international Dated April 2, 1954), originally to be delivered starting July 1955 but were delivered in December 1955 , January and February 1956 (see table). The newly delivered aircraft were put immediately in service to their regional destination and helped inaugurate the Cairo-Ciampino route on March 19 1956. The arrival of the Vickers Viscount was crucial to the continuing development of the company as its fleet of Vickers Viking were getting old and obsolete, and facing tough competition from both M.E.A and Iraqi Airways .

SU-AIC will be the victim of the Suez war. From the www.w.edcoatescollection.com.Copyright Ed Coates

source : www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collection

MISRAIR Vickers Viscount network - March 1956

In its October 1956 timetable the Cairo-Rome stops in Athens twice per week

The union of Syria and Egypt to become the United Arab Republic in 1958 will prompt the Egyptian government to rename the company as United Arab Airlines and and Syrian Airways will be merged in December 1958.

"SU-AKN V.739A Viscount United Arab Airlines LPL 08MAY65 (5658951995)" by Ken Fielding - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The timetable dated November 1959 shows new Vickers viscount services to Athens, Geneva , Frankfurt, Kuwait, Damascus, Asmara, Benghazi, Tripoli and Jerusalem.Unfortunately Aden ceases to be served altogether.

MISRAIR/UNITED ARAB AIRLINES Vickers Viscount network - November 1959

In June 1960, SU-AKO will link ,for the first time, on June 16,1960 Cairo with London Heathrow via Athens, Rome and Geneva. As it was the case with MEA , the delivery of the newly ordered COMET will prompt UAA to shift its Vickers Viscounts operations to regional lines as evidenced by the timetable dated January 1,1961

source : www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collection

UNITED ARAB AIRLINES Vickers Viscount network - January 1961

The political union with Syria will collapse in 1961 and in October 1961, following the establishment of Syrian Arab Aitlines , all routes and fleet will be divested from United Arab Airlines.

A year later with the Timetable dated July 1, 1962 , the company is able to introduce new routes as the COMET takes preponderance on the European, African routes. The company will allocate the Comet on routes > 1000 miles and the Vickers viscount on routes up to 1000 m. Asmara, Mogadishu, Aden, the Tripoli service is extended to Tunis. Flights to Nicosia are re-introduced and Athens remains the only European Destination served by the Vickers Viscount (although the Greek capital is also served by the Comet).Note worthy is that the DC3s deployed on the domestic routes are steadily replaced by the Vickers Viscounts.

source : www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collection

UNITED ARAB AIRLINES Vickers Viscount network - July 1962

The winter 1963/64 timetable

source : www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collection

is the sad witness of the swan song of the Vickers viscount operations a handful of International destinations and a dedication to domestic operations. UAA will continue to operate the Vickers Viscount during low season and on thinner international routes until sold to British Eagle (starting in March 1965).In the mean time , DC6 will be acquired and replaced the Vickers viscount on Domestic and some regional routes . The Antonov 24 will replace the DC6 on the domestic runs and the Il 18 will be introduced on the thinner international routes of the company