AB Airlines

♦ AB Airlines was founded on 08Feb1993 as Air Bristol by Brian Beal and Tony Auld and commenced charter operations on 11Oct1993 followed by full scheduled services on 07Dec1993. In 1994, the airline established a secondary operating base at Shannon Airport, Ireland, to run high-frequency regional corridors to London Gatwick, marketing this specific network arm as AB Shannon. Shifting its strategic focus to tap into the busy Northern Irish travel market in 1995, the company heavily branded and markets its primary operations as Air Belfast. In 1997, as the network grew well beyond its original regional roots to encompass major European hubs, the carrier officially dropped its localised names and unified under the corporate banner AB Airlines in Aug1999, centering its main hub at London Gatwick. : Unable to service its mounting operational debts and with its new Boeing aircraft orders canceled, the company officially enters financial administration. AB Airlines officially ceased all flight operations on 10Sep1999. Its last remaining valuable scheduled slots and routes—specifically London Gatwick to Nice and Shannon—were immediately absorbed and taken over by British Airways
< operated regional services out of several UK airports > ♦

[Air Bristol] (1993)
         (The Core Parent Group)
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[Air Belfast] (1995)       [AB Shannon] (1994/95)
(Belfast-Stansted Route)   (Gatwick-Shannon Route)
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             [AB Airlines] (May 1997)
          (Unified Single Carrier)