Morton Air Services

Morton Air Services. It was a pioneering British independent airline founded in the immediate post-war era, playing a significant role in the development of the United Kingdom's air charter and scheduled service network. The carrier operated a diverse range of aircraft from its bases at Croydon Airport and later Gatwick Airport, serving numerous destinations across Southern England and near-Continental Europe. Its history is intertwined with the early careers of several notable aviation figures and the evolution of Britain's post-war civil aviation landscape before its eventual absorption into a larger group.

History

The airline was established in 1945 by Gordon P. Morton, commencing operations with a single Auster Autocrat from Croydon Airport. It initially focused on air taxi and freight services, capitalizing on the surplus of aircraft and pilots following World War II. In 1948, the ambitious young pilot Freddie Laker joined the company, quickly becoming its operations manager and later a director, where he honed the competitive strategies he would later famously employ at Laker Airways. The airline secured vital scheduled service licenses to destinations like the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight, establishing itself as a key player alongside contemporaries like British European Airways and Airwork. A major shift occurred in 1960 when it was purchased by the Air Holdings group, led by Sir Myles Wyatt, and was later integrated into the British Air Transport conglomerate alongside British United Airways and Channel Airways.

Fleet

Throughout its operational history, the company utilized a wide variety of piston-engine and turboprop aircraft, reflecting the rapid technological changes in post-war aviation. Early fleet types included the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, the Percival Proctor, and the Airspeed Consul. For its scheduled services, it operated the larger de Havilland Dove and the Handley Page Marathon. In the 1950s, it introduced more advanced aircraft such as the de Havilland Heron and the Percival Prince, and later modernized with the Handley Page Dart Herald turboprop. The airline also briefly operated the Vickers Viscount, a pioneering BEA turboprop airliner, on some of its premier routes before its merger.

Operations

Its core business centered on scheduled passenger services linking London airports with regional points across the English Channel. Key routes included flights from Gatwick Airport to Saint Peter Port in Guernsey, Saint Helier in Jersey, and Dinard in France. It also operated important domestic services, such as the Southampton Airport to Ryde Isle of Wight route, utilizing its fleet of Herons. Beyond scheduled flights, the company maintained a robust air charter division, providing services for industrial projects, private groups, and inclusive tour holiday companies to destinations in Belgium, the Netherlands, and throughout the United Kingdom. Its base at Croydon Airport was a hub of activity until the airport's closure in 1959, after which operations consolidated at Gatwick Airport.

Accidents and incidents

The airline experienced several notable accidents during its history. A significant fatal crash occurred on 14 July 1955, when a de Havilland Dove crashed near Folkestone while on a training flight from Croydon Airport, resulting in fatalities. Another incident involved a Handley Page Marathon that overran the runway at Jersey Airport in 1957. On 5 June 1967, a Handley Page Dart Herald operating a scheduled service from Gatwick Airport to Le Touquet in France crashed in a field near Rusper, West Sussex, shortly after takeoff; while the aircraft was destroyed, there were miraculously no fatalities among the passengers and crew, a fact widely reported in contemporary media like The Times.

Legacy

The company is remembered as a quintessential example of the resilient and entrepreneurial post-war British independent airline. It provided essential air links for regional communities and holidaymakers, directly contributing to the growth of tourism in the Channel Islands and coastal France. Its role as a training ground for Freddie Laker was historically significant, influencing the later development of the Laker Airways Skytrain low-cost model that challenged the British Airways monopoly. The airline's identity gradually faded after its acquisition by Air Holdings, with its operations and routes ultimately folded into the structures of British United Airways and its successors, marking the end of a distinct chapter in the story of Civil aviation in the United Kingdom.

Category:Defunct airlines of the United Kingdom Category:Airlines established in 1945 Category:Airlines disestablished in 1992