British Overseas Airways Corporation
IATABA ICAOBOA
- Founded
- 24 November 1939 (amalgamation of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd)
- Callsign
- SPEEDBIRD
- Headquarters
- Speedbird House, Heathrow Airport
- Hubs and bases
- Heathrow Airport
- Ceased operations
- 31 March 1974 (merged with BEA, Cambrian Airways and Northeast Airlines to form British Airways)
About the airline
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned national airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passing of the Civil Aviation Act 1946, European and South American services passed to two further state-owned airlines, British European Airways (BEA) and British South American Airways (BSAA). BOAC absorbed BSAA in 1949, but BEA continued to operate British domestic and European routes for the next quarter century. The Civil Aviation Act 1971 merged BOAC and BEA, effective 31 March 1974, forming today's British Airways.
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