Aberdeen London Express

Aberdeen London Express
IATA ICAO Call sign
E7 EAF EUROCHARTER
FoundedSeptember 1993
Commenced operations31 October 1994
Ceased operations6 December 1994
Operating basesAberdeen Airport
Fleet size1
DestinationsLondon Stansted
Headquarters100 Union Street, Aberdeen
Key peopleDr Robert Perryment (CEO)

Aberdeen London Express Limited (also known as ALEX) was a short lived airline that operated a single aircraft on flights between Aberdeen Airport and London Stansted.

History

Aberdeen London Express Limited was officially registered with the Civil Aviation Authority in September 1993 by Dr Robert Perryment. The airline schedule allowed travelers to arrive in London by 09:30am, and leave after a day's work for Aberdeen arrival by the evening. Initial bookings were primarily made by oil and gas companies.[1]

The airline commenced flights on 31 October 1994.[2] However, due to poor demand, and the oil and gas companies backing not forthcoming, it ceased operations on 6 December 1994 and filed for liquidation.[3][4] During their operation, Aberdeen London Express had one aircraft, a leased BAC 1-11 (G-AVMI) from European Aviation. Aberdeen London Express Limited worked closely with European who operated the aircraft on an ACMI basis, as part of their own business strategy to support newly founded airlines. This meant Aberdeen London Express Limited utilised European's IATA, ICAO and Callsign information as noted on the flight numbers EAF5003 & EAF5004.[5][6][7][8]

Founder

Aberdeen London Express Limited was founded by Dr Robert Perryment, a former member of the British Army. He spent time working for Lloyd's of London as a broker in Africa, before moving into the oil and gas industry, prior to setting up the airline. In 1996, Perryment supported Stelios Haji-Ioannou in setting up Easyjet's flights to Aberdeen and Inverness. Perryment later set up Distribution Hygiene Services and has written a book about being a Christian in the military. He is now based in Portugal.[9][10]

Destinations

Fleet

Aberdeen London Express Limited's fleet at the time of closure was:

Aircraft In Service Passengers
BAC 1-11 1 104

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Aberdeen-London air service aims for oil trade". hearldscotland.com. 9 September 1993.
  2. ^ "Flight International Vol 146". Flight International. 146: 13. 1994. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  3. ^ Woodley, Charles (15 November 2011). Stansted Airport Through Time. UK: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445611068.
  4. ^ Vasigh, Bijan; Rowe, Zane C (2 July 2019). Foundations of Airline Finance. Taylor & Francis. p. 150. ISBN 9780429769559.
  5. ^ "There wasn't much we wouldn't do". key.aero. 14 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Aberdeen London Express". planespotters.net.
  7. ^ "Aberdeen London Express". airlinehistory.co.uk.
  8. ^ "Aberdeen London Express ALEX". timetableimages.com.
  9. ^ "Dr Robert Perryment – Distribution Hygiene Services – The Interview". warehousenews.co.uk. 28 April 2010.
  10. ^ "Interview: Robert Perryment, former soldier, author". churchtimes.co.uk.