Previous Operators
Previous air operators resident at Teesside International Airport over the years. Any additional information please feel free to get in touch.
Beacon Flying
Club
1972 - 1973
Following a takeover of the Middleton-St-George Aero Club, Beacon Flying Club was born, trading name of Beacon Air Services Limited. We believe the company had a light aircraft maintenance operation as well that we would be keen to learn more about. Ron Mason was the owner and he had a reputation for wasting the company profits in the bar, eventually leading to the business becoming untenable and going bust. Charles Cunliffe and Walter Linskill both submitted bids for the company, with Charles winning and renaming as Teesside Aviation Limited t/a Tees-Side Flying Club. Walter set-up Cleveland Flying School instead.
Help needed: We have a photograph of G-AYLO clearly showing it wearing Beacon Air Services titles, yet it was registered to the former owner of Beacon, Ron Mason, along with Douglas Atherton, between 1976-1978. If anyone can explain this anomally please contact us.
Cleveland
Flight Training
2009 - 2011
One of the two new schools to start-up in the wake of Disley Aviations collapse, the other being Durham Tees Flight Training.
Cleveland
Flying Group
197x - ????
Some of the Middleton-St-George Aero Club instructors led by Les Povey who didn't wish to be affiliated with the replacement club set-up the Cleveland Flying Group, which was the equivalent of todays Private Aircraft Owners Group and more of a private group for private and recreational pilots rather than an open aero club. Cleveland Flying Group had a Nissen Hut adjacent to Beacon Flying Club.
Help needed: Dates.
Cleveland
Flying School
1973 - 2009
A Beacon Flying Club instructor decided to form a new club and teamed up with Walter Linskill to create Cleveland Flying School. Some aircraft were registered to Linskill Air Charter which may have operated independently of CFS as well - confirmation needed. Northern Aviation would takeover the school for the latter part of their existence before selling out to the short-lived Disley Aviation who traded under their own brand despite the aircraft remaining registered to Cleveland Flying School. The Disley Aviation aircraft not inherited from CFS were co-based at Blackpool Airport with Mr Disleys Helicentre Blackpool operation. Some of the C152 aircraft were bought by Newcastle-based Northumbria Flying School following Disleys demise, the co-owner of that school would later set-up Durham Tees Flight Training, itself eventually being bought out by PTT Aviation - a school set-up by the owner of the former Northern Aviation/Cleveland Flying School - does your head hurt yet?! Talk about coming full circle!!
Help needed: Did Linkskill Air Charter operate independently of CFS, either briefly or throughout? When were they bought by Northern Aviation?
Disley
Aviation
2009
Traded under their own name and brand but aircraft remained registered to Cleveland Flying School (see above).
Durham
Aerosports
2015 - 2017
A fixed-wing microlight school with an excellent reputation, forced to cease trading due to reasons beyond the owners control.
Durham Tees
Flight Training
2010 - 2016
One of the two new schools to start-up in the wake of Disley Aviations collapse, the other being Cleveland Flight Training. Had an excellent reputation, the owner was co-owner and eventual whole-owner of Newcastle-based Northumbria Flying School. They purchased St George Flight Training in 2013 before being bought out themselves by NAL Asset Management, a phoenix company of Northern Aviation, who together with the purchase of Multiflight Flight Training and Northumbria Flying School founded PTT Aviation.
GW
Microlights
2015
A flex-wing microlight school. The owner was forced to retire due to health issues.
Heliconair
1965
Noted as operating one of our hangars in 1965. It is likely they provided engineering services, given most of the aircraft noted within were almost certainly based at other local locations.
Help needed: Anything and everything!
Heli-One
2004 - 2013
HS (Holdings) Ltd trading as Heli-One, one of few Helicopter schools to base at the airport over the years. We believe the owner shut-down the company ahead of emigrating to Canada or the US.
Ken Large
Aviation
1984 - 1987
The well respected and famous Ken Large had his own flying school during the 80s, the airport shut him down following a change of policy in relation to flying schools. He was based in what is currently the Goosepool Hotel (with the model Harrier on the roof), he used to park the aircraft outside and had to close after the airport deliberately fenced off his premises! Ken then joined Cleveland Flying School.
Help needed: Confirmation of end date and aircraft fleet.
Linskill Air Charter
See Cleveland Flying School
Middleton-St-George Aero Club
1964 - 1972
The first Aero Club to be formed as soon as the aerodrome transferred into civilian ownership ran by Neville Bolsover plus others. A takeover by Ron Mason saw it become Beacon Flying Club (see above).
PTT Aviation
2016 - 2018
Formed following the purchase and merger by NAL Asset Management (phoenix company of Northern Aviation which owned Cleveland Flying School) of Multiflight Flight Training, Durham Tees Flight Training and Northumbria Flying School. It's a shame three long-established and well respected flying schools were lost to such a short lived venture.
Skydive St.
George
2013 - 2016
As the name suggests a parachute club and a brave and bold experiment on the part of the airports then-owners Peel, kudos to them for trying something new! Not very popular with other airport operators as everything had to come to a stop while they dropped - which was often especially at weekends. General consensus is a commercial airport was not the correct environment for such specialist activity. They eventually moved to Peterlee Shotton Airfield in co-operation with the long-established Peterlee Parachute Centre, but shut-down not longer after.
St. George
Flight Training
1993 - 2013
A long established flying school with a well respected owner. Sold out to Durham Tees Flight Training to pursue retirement.
Teesside Aero
Club
1986 - 2005
Despite Cleveland Flying School holding the record for longest resident flying school (under a single name anyway), if you were to ask people to name the first aero club/flying school to pop into their heads from throughout our history, you would likely find Teesside Aero Club was the most common answer. There was a lot of love for this club, helped in no small part by a very vibrant social culture in their bar/café. We stand to be corrected but we believe this was another school closed due to owner retirement.
Help needed: Fleet data refinement - see Civil Previous Residents page.
Tees-Side Air
Charter
1969 - 1970
Purchased a Cessna 150 from M-S-G Aero Club in 1969 which was operated for just over a year with no trace of any other aircraft.
Help needed: General clarification and dates.
Teesside
Flight Training
2011 - 2014
A fairly inactive flying school that never really 'took-off', pun intended.
Tees-Side
Flying Club
01/02/73 - 1984
The third incarnation of the Middleton-St-George Aero Club / Beacon Flying Club. Tees-Side Aviation Limited trading as Tees-Side Flying Club. This variation was set-up by Charles Cunliffe when he won the bid to purchase the assets of bankrupt Beacon Flying Club. Upon Charles death in an accident involving G-AZOC in 1975, Ken Large in partnership with others associated with the club purchased it from his widow and continued to run it, until in 1981 when he walked away as the losses sustained by the bar where threatening the profitable flying school side. Ken set up his own firm, Ken Large Aviation.
Help needed: Teesside Aviation Ltd also operated a London Stansted service during 1994 but there appears to have been a ten year gap from the last club aircraft leaving to the first passenger aircraft arriving with nothing in the interim, therefore we have to wonder if two unrelated companies have traded under the same name?
Tees Valley
Flight Training
2005 - 2009
A school operated with little fanfare by well known local pilot Paul Carlton.
Tyne Tees
Helicopter Centre
1990 - 1998
A helicopter school operated as an off-shoot of Leeds-based Yorkshire Helicopter Centre.
Airlines
Only significant operations included.
Air Anglia
1972 - 1980
Significant regional connectivity operation, merged with two other carriers to form Air UK who continued with the routes.
Aircam Aviation
1989 - 1994
Began life as an air charter / special mission operator before launching a short-lived Belfast City route in co-operation with Gill Air in 1994.
Help needed: Confirmation of dates and fleet.
Airtours International Airways
1994 - 2001
Year round leisure services from 1994, with a summer seasonal based aircraft from 1995 until 2001 when they re-branded as MyTravel Airways.
Air UK
1980 - 1998
Inherited the Air Anglia routes following that airliners merger with two others to form the carrier. They maintained an extensive and healthy regional connectivity operation until they were purchased by KLM, who still operate the Amsterdam service today.
Autair International Airways
1967 - 1969
Extensive regional connectivity base.
Help needed: Confirmation of dates.
BKS Air Transport
1964 - 1966
Our first regional connectivity base, including our first London route! Although an aircraft upgrade proved too big which led to the whole operation being replaced by Autair (see above).
Help needed: Confirmation of dates, also British European Airways are reported to have helped with the winding down of the London Heathrow route prior to Autair gaining the licence, but we're starting to doubt this - can anyone confirm?
bmi
2001 - 2009
British Midland Airways rebranded.
bmibaby
2003 - 2006
The low cost arm of bmi opened a base in 2003 catapulting us to dizzying new heights with a great selection of mainly holiday routes but also some city destinations too. Having only just introduced a second based aircraft, they closed the base in October 2006 to much dismay. The airport owners Peel would successfully go on to sue them for breach of contract, receiving £12m in damages.
Britannia Airways
2005
Although maintaining a consistent and healthy presence at the airport since the 70s, in 2005 they opened a summer seasonal base to replace Airtours who had pulled theirs as part of a cost-cutting exercise. They rebranded as Thomsonfly after the first year.
British Caledonian Commuter Services
1982 - 1984
See Genair
British Midland Airways
1964 - 1965 / 1969 - 2001
One of the most important airlines of our history! They are known for the long running London Heathrow service but periodically they played with regional connectivity and holiday routes.
Help needed: Details of their original 1964 regional connectivity operation including confirmation of dates.
Casair Aviation
1984 - 1988
Following the bankruptcy of Genair, Casair was resurrected.
Casair Aviation Services
1972 - 1982
Our definitive home-grown airline! Like Aircam started as an air taxi operator. Merged into two other airlines to form Genair.
Channel Airways
1969
Seemed to operate a short-lived but very extensive regional connectivity operation.
Help needed: Confirmation of dates and routes.
Dan-Air Services
1965 - 1992
A major regional connectivity operation, possibly our most famous such example! They also for a time had a healthy leisure operation too.
FlyGlobespan
2006 - 2009
Replaced bmibaby with an initial two aircraft base, although they were exclusively holiday routes with no city destinations available. Ultimately decided to retreat to their Scottish roots.
Genair
1982 - 1984
Formed from the merger of three commuter airlines including Tees-Side based Casair, just one month later started operating as British Caledonian Commuter Services in a franchise arrangement.
Gill Air
1993 - 1995
An extensive regional connectivity operation, had good brand awareness due to being a local airline (albeit Newcastle). With a small gap, they returned as Gill Airways.
Gill Airways
1997 - 2000
Had a second crack at a regional connectivity operation. Replaced by Eastern Airways who remain based.
MyTravel Airways
2001 - 2004
Airtours rebranded. Their final 2004 summer base was outsourced to Spanair.
Polar Airways
1983 - 1984
Formed at Teesside as a specialist contract/charter/cargo operator.
Ryanair
1997 - 2010
Not the biggest leisure operation we've had but the Dublin route was very long standing and caused jealousy at our neighbours when we were intially favoured over them for their North East Dublin service. During the peak of the low cost boom they broadened their horizons by adding Alicante, Girona and Tenerife services and are returning in 2021 after 11 years with Alicante and Palma routes with hopes of more in future.
Spanair
2004
See MyTravel Airways
Teesside Aviation
1994
Operated a short-lived London Stansted route in association first with BAC Express Airlines and then Air Swift, would would go on to continue the route on their own.
Help needed: We know they were affiliated with a flying school, and Tees-Side Flying Club was Tees-Side Aviation on paper, yet there seems to be a 10-year gap between the flying club shutting down and the airline starting, is this a second unrelated Teesside Aviation?
Thomsonfly
2006
Britannia Airways rebranded.
TNT Airways
2000 - 2008
TNT Express rebranded. The air service ended in 2008 but they remain based as a road-freight only operator under the FedEx Express brand following a takeover.
TNT Express
1998 - 2000
The start of a long-standing cargo service to Liège. Inherited by TNT Airways following a rebranding.
Anvil
Aviation
1980 - 1982
An private charter subsidiary of Hangar 3 East-based Rothmans International.
Help needed: Any additional information.
Astro
Aviation
2005 - 2006
A helicopter charter company set-up by the St. Christopher Property Group, owners of Middlesbrough-based residential and commerical lettings company Campus Lifestyle.
Diamond
Executive Aviation
2002 - 2003 / 2010
Now known as a big special mission operator, they were based with us during their early days in 2010. In late 2002, a DA40 became based registered to Papa Bravo Ltd, which was the original legal name of Diamond Executive Aviation, although otherwise unrelated to DEA.
Dollar Air
Services
1989 - 1990
Helicopter charter company that briefly had a Teesside base. They later merged with another company to form the well known PLM Dollar Group t/a PDG Helicopters still active today.
DragonFly
Aviation Services
2009 - 2010
During the late 2000s, Northern Aviation had a contract to manage one of DragonFly's Beech 200 aircraft, when Northern ceased trading, DragonFly briefly kept the aircraft based under their own brand.
Flying Fox
Aviation
2015 - 2020
Sporadically based operator, they seemed to place a heavy focus on Teesside briefly in the mid 2010s, otherwise they are regular winter residents when Bagby becomes waterlogged. They also had a strong partnership with Eden Flight Training for a while.
GAT (Geordie
Air Transport)
1993 - 1994
Briefly based a Beech 200 at the airport.
Naljets
2013 - 2017
NAL Asset Management trading as Naljets. First noted around 2013, they were founded by the owner of Northern Aviation, with the NAL presumably standing for Northern Aviation Limited. They would go on to purchase and merge Multiflight Flight Training, Durham Tees Flight Training and Northumbria Flying School to form Pilot Training and Testing t/a PTT Aviation. Today, they have two aircraft, one is registered to Apex Global Investments on the Bookajet AOC (Apex being the call sign of Naljets), the other registered to Northumbria Aerospace Ltd t/a NAL Engineering.
Northern
Aviation
2002 - 2009
Our most prominent air taxi operator, it's doubtful the owners at the end were the same as at the beginning. A great shame no-one has taken on the mantle as they demonstrated healthy demand during their tenure here.
Tees-Side Helicopters
Referenced in the 1977 handbook, no further detail.
Help needed: Anything and everything!
Tyne Tees
Airways
1975 - 1983
Despite the ambitious suffix more commonly associated with airlines, they were just an air taxi operator and a popular one by all accounts.
Help needed: Dates and aircraft fleet confirmation, we are showing a 12 year gap without aircraft on the Previous Residents page.
Cargo
Fritz Air Freight
Cargo operation based in Hangar 1.
Help needed: Dates.
Corporate
Owners
These are likely not air operators but rather commercial
entities that owned their own aircraft.
David Martin
Couriers Ltd
1982 - 1994
There's a bigger picture here that we are not aware of - they operated three PA31s and the Bandeirante that Teesside Aviation used to operate their London Stansted scheduled service.
Help needed: General detail.
Artix Ltd
1985 - 1993
Replaced a PA46 with a Citation V and briefly had a Beech 200 as well. The PA-46 is recorded as being owned by the son of John Dee (see below).
Cameron Hall
Developments Ltd
1987 - 1992
Replaced a Beech 300 with a Learjet 35. May have also operated VR-CDB listed below.
DJB
Engineering Ltd
1977 - 1983
Had three Citations during their time here. A shame with all the companies based on Teesside that not even one can see the benefit of having an in-house fleet like DJB and some of the others on this list.
Jimmy Blumer
(Yarm) Ltd
1966 - 1968
Three aircraft that we know of.
John Dee
Group
1984 - 1991
Aka John Dee Transport, presumably not to be confused with John Deere! Had three aircraft during their time.
Middleton
Miniature Mouldings
1998 - 2003
Likely a private owner with company owned aircraft, we are aware of three.
T.W. Walker
Ltd
1965 - 1980
T.W. Walker Ltd were a road haulage firm based on Bowesfield Lane in Stockton-on-Tees, thanks to Ian McMaster, we now know they operated their helicopters from here, and the owner kept at least one of this fixed-wing aircraft (Mooney G-BKMB) in Hangar 3 leading us to assume the two Cessnas and PA-34 were too. In view of this new information we have removed the helicopters from the previous residents list.
Unknown?
Falcon 20 VR-CDB was based in the late 80s, and around that time there were other almost identical registrations, including Guernsey based LJ60 VP-CRB which only recently ceased to be a regular visitor.
Cleveland Air
Operations Unit
2009 - 2013
Cleveland Police independent air unit following the split from the joint operation with Northumberland.
Great North
Air Ambulance
2002 - 2020
Still as good as based given their proximity to the airport! When they were first looking at a new all singing all dancing base, they wanted to buy not rent, which airports tend not to do.
National
Police Air Service (NPAS)
2013 - 2017
All UK Police air units were merged into a single operation, the National Police Air Service (or NPAS), and the powers that be felt there were too many bases and cut several of them, including ours.
North East
Air Support Unit
1995 - 2009
The original Police base with a fixed-wing Islander before moving to rotary-wing aircraft. Later Northumbria Police decided they wanted a divorce and split the group in two, with the Northumbria Air Support Unit at Newcastle and the Cleveland Air Operations Unit at what was Durham Tees Valley, but not before cheekily switching out our relatively new helicopter with the banger from Newcastle. Cleveland would have the last laugh though when they purchased a new build!
Aerochecks
1973 -
A huge thank you to David Heaslewood for the following:
Hi, this company was started by my father Derek Heaslewood, Geoff Heaslewood & Syd Finnegan originally at Gatwick Airport in the Beehive building around 1971/2, they moved up to Teesside around 73/4 doing general aircraft maintenance, my father was also technical director of African Safari Airways & did the maintenance for their Britannias. My father bought 5Y-ALT with two partners for £120.000, & converted it into a freighter at Teesside, (I had the pleasure of being one of the loadmasters).
Cleveland
Airwork
1975 - 1978
We believe this to have been a light aircraft maintenance operation - but we don't know for sure.
Help needed: Anything and everything!
Darchem Aero
1966
Noted in the 1966 air pageant programme.
Help needed: Anything and everything!
FR Aviation
1995 - 200?
Still based but rebranded as Cobham Aviation Services.
Bristow
Helicopters
1978 - 1980
Ran a shuttle service between the airport and North Sea oil rigs.
Help needed: Date clarification and fleet confirmation.
British
International Helicopter Services
1990
As above, we believe at least one of either Bond or CHC Scotia were also very briefly based.
Help needed: Same as with Bristow
Civil
Aviation Authority Fire Training School
1981 - 1996
Still based but outsourced to Serco who run the facility as the International Fire Training Centre.
Help needed: Confirmation of arrival date.
Civil
Aviation Authority Flight Calibration Service
1993 - 1996
The original based Calibrators! The CAA eventually outsourced the work to Cobham who set-up Flight Precision.
Cobham Flight
Inspection
2009 - 2014
Flight Precision rebranded. They moved out to Bournemouth in 2014 in a cost-cutting exercise, only to be bought out by Thales in 2016 who moved the operation back to Teesside where it remains based.
Flight
Precision
1996 - 2009
Formed by Cobham when they won the tender for the CAAs Flight Calibration Service.
Heli Holland
2011
Briefly based a Eurocopter EC155 to operate an oil rig contract.
Rothmans
International
1972 - 1982
The famous tobacco company had their own aerobatic display team for PR purposes which was based at Tees-Side Airport.