KT550

That's very likely - I don't think they had any other flights from STN at the time.
I flew over Easter, out Friday, back Monday. 09:00 dep from STN, 12:30 from CGN.

P.S.
If there was an evening flight, I'm sure we'd have taken that for the return journey, so it wouldn't have been much good for Ford day trips.

TPJ

This is getting interesting. airlinehistory.co.uk mentions Lviv Airlines (Lvov Airlines in Ukrainian) with YK-42 aircraft (technically a former Aeroflot Lviv Division, then renamed to Air Ukraine and finally to Lviv Airlines).

So could it be Lviv Airlines on YK-42?

Herb687

Sure was. I miss the old UIO airport. Good times being able to planespot from the school's patio during coffee breaks. Plus, back then, there were lots of 727s still flying and interesting airlines like AeroGal and TAME in addition to the occasional European visitors to UIO like IB and KL.

IB once had an A340 runway overrun at UIO.

Cape Air with a Cessna 402 via Marathon?

WHBM

Maybe just a reduced service for the holiday.

BMA did an even stranger service a few years later, from London City to Leeds. Goodness knows why; it actually suited me on a couple of trips, but very few others. They were likewise unknown at London City, nor did they have an aircraft suitable so had to lease in an ATR-42. Marketing publicity was zilch. Passenger loads never exceeded single figures on mine. Lasted about six months.

jlemon

Wild guess time.....AVENSA.

KT550

Near enough.
Air Ukraine operated a Yak-42 on a Saturday LWO-MAN-LWO during Summer 1993, though there are some photos on the net from late 1992 so it may have started earlier.

I didn't actually fly to Ukraine - the local enthusiasts group at MAN arranged a local sightseeing flight during its turn round at MAN.

The caption to this photo, taken on the day of my flight
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1288511
claims that the flight to Lviv was actually PS coded, which I wasn't aware off until just now.

The local flight from Manchester was UKR001 and the ticket was Air Ukraine, not Ukraine Int'l.

KT550

No, it wasn't Cape Air or a C402, nor was MTH the stop.
though Cape Air were flying EYW-RSW around that time.

Please keep trying; nearly there.

KT550

Sometimes wild guesses work.

It was actually a Servivensa flight but operated with an Avensa aeroplane the day I flew.
VC501 MEX-PTY, then presumably non-stop to CCS.

I think it was quite common for VE and VC to use one anothers aircraft. I've had an Avensa domestic flight which was op by a Servivensa DC-9.

I don't think Servivensa operated many international flights but that's what was on the departure board at MEX. (I was actually ticketed on the Mexicana code-share as MX1501).

If anyone has the timetable from 1996, please let me know if I'm wrong.

jlemon

Well, I'm not sure about Servivensa operating international flights but it would not surprise me if they did.

However, what I do know is AVENSA was at one point partially controlled by Pan Am which I believe divested itself of its interest in AVENSA during the mid 1970s.

And this prior affiliation with Pan Am may have also contributed to the AVENSA livery.....

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9330478

AVENSA Boeing 727 aircraft were a common sight at Miami back when I was connecting via MIA going to or returning from the Caribbean.

KT550

Just noticed quite a few photos of Servivensa 727s/DC-9s at MIA in the 1990s, so looks like they did get out of Venezuela regularly.

jlemon

And it appears AVENSA was operating scheduled DC-10-30 service to Europe during the late 1990's.

I also think AVENSA may have even served London at one point but I'm not sure if they actually did.....

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/7949192

WHBM

If they had waited a couple of years they could have had further rides on a Russian-registered Yak-42 which got based at Manchester in the high summer of 1995, running as Sunjet holiday flights to Spain and the Mediterranean, when some tour companies had run out of capacity. This caused a huge upset across the industry because it seemed to have been done inside the regulations; British World from Southend (and doubtless their buccaneering head, Mike Keegan) had got involved on the official AOC, and unless you knew the aircraft had no sign on the outside that it might be Russian operated. Here she is, Sunjet RA-42428 arriving at Palma from Manchester. A few weeks passed, and the Civil Aviation Authority found a way to shut it down.

RA-42428 | Yakovlev Yak-42D | Polet Flight | Toni Marimon | JetPhotos

Most Soviet airliners were pretty good and robust designs of their era, but the Yak-42 never quite made it, it was a bit small for a trijet and reliability was not the best, even Aeroflot didn't really want them after initial experiences.

Now, a Yak story. In 2003 I went to the Monino aircraft museum in Moscow, where they have one of everything (literally) from the Soviet era. At the front desk I was asked if I wanted an English-language guidebook. Well yes, There was an element of glances and shuffling, someone went away, please wait, and 5 minutes later they returned with a distinctly elderly gentleman, only one in the place who spoke any meaningful English, with a such a guidebook under his arm. It became apparent he was the author, and had likely self-published it to eke out his meagre Soviet-era pension, and just sat there in a side office all day hoping to sell some. He produced a classic fountain pen and did a huge florid dedication to me across the opening two pages. Then a short conversation.

"Are you pilot".
"Yes".
"Ah, what do you fly".
"Cessna 152 and Piper PA-28. Are you a pilot too ?"
"Ah yes".
"What do you fly ?"
"I was the chief test pilot for 15 years at the Yak factory in Saratov".

Nothing more to be said really ...

KT550

re-posted on 6 Feb

jrl767

Silver Air wasn't yet in business with the ex-Mesaba/NW Airlink Saab 340s, so I think I'll go large here ... AirTran with a 717 over Orlando/MCO

KT550

No, it wasn't AirTran or a 717.
It was a direct flight with no change of plane required. Continue to think small.