• Treffield International Airways

Treffield Aviation, named for its founders, Lord Trefgarne and Charles Masefield, was established at Sywell aerodrome, Northampton, in September 1965. Operations commenced in mid-October with two Avro Ansons, flying freight charters around the UK and to the near continent. Later in the month Treffield announced ambitious plans to open a nationwide and continental network of freight services conveying overnight express parcels via a central hub at East Midlands. These plans, along the lines of Fred Smith’s later highly successful FedEx hub-and-spoke operation in the USA, envisaged employing a fleet of 20 Beagle 206 light transports, but in the event the idea did not reach maturity. Likewise, thoughts of using a Bristol Freighter and a Douglas Dakota on freight operations came to naught.

Meanwhile, the Ansons were kept busy, especially during the early summer dock strike of 1966, when they continuously hauled loads of consumer goods from Rotterdam around the British Isles, most notably to Belfast. On one occasion, a load of piglets being brought from Bilbao broke loose and headed for the cockpit, causing much consternation to the crew. A Dragon Rapide was acquired in July 1966 to be operated from Castle Donnington airport (East Midlands) under the title Dominie Airways and this aircraft undertook ad hoc charters and pleasure flying from many local airfields. Before Treffield’s cargo route applications could be resolved, the airline underwent a complete change of direction, having secured the award of several substantial inclusive tour contracts for the 1967 summer season. Reflecting this change of role, the company was re-titled Treffield International Airways in mid-November 1966. To fulfil these new obligations, amongst which was a £500,000 deal with Hourmont Travel for flights from Bristol and Cardiff, Treffield negotiated the dry-lease of three Vickers Viscounts from Channel Airways. The first of these aircraft was handed over at the beginning of January 1967 and a period of intensive crew training ensued.

Despite a lavish publicity launch at Cardiff airport early in February, Treffield’s air operator certificate was not forthcoming until almost the very end of April, causing several pre-season commitments to be sub-chartered to Channel, British Midland and Invicta. Eventually on 27 April, G-ATVR made Treffield’s first commercial flight proper between London-Gatwick and Wick in Scotland and after several return trips to Amsterdam, took up its inclusive tour duties with a service to Palma from Bristol on 29 April 1967. Five days later, Viscounts commenced flying inclusive tour charters from Gatwick on behalf of Frames Tours, Mercury Travel and Sunair. With holiday flights additionally originating from Liverpool, Treffield decided to dispense with the third Channel Airways Viscount and instead, lease a Bristol Britannia from Laker Airways, which made its debut on 1 May 1967, flying between Gatwick and Venice. Later in the month Leeds and Manchester became new holiday charter departure points, the former serving Ostend, Perpignan and Palma, though aircraft unserviceability meant that some of these services were again sub-contracted.

Just when Treffield’s intense flight programme seemed to be settling down, the early days of June 1967 marked a period of fleet unserviceability and, coupled with diversions due to poor weather at both Bristol and Cardiff, threw the schedule into complete disarray with aircraft out of position and passengers stranded both at home and abroad. Numerous complaints gave rise to adverse newspaper publicity and in these circumstances, Hourmont had little option but to cancel Treffield’s contract and revert to its previous flight supplier, Cambrian Airways. Treffield completed its last flight for Hourmont on 11 June 1967. The loss of this valuable business was a death blow for the company, though it staggered on for a few more days with other contracted flights from Gatwick and north England. However, on 23 June 1967 the company announced it was ceasing operations and winding-up proceedings were instituted in the light of debts exceeding £203,000, against assets of just £4,800.