Dart Group
Encyclopedia
Dart Group PLC is a holding company based in West Yorkshire
, England, for an airline company based at Leeds Bradford International Airport
historically linked with the Channel Islands
and a distribution company based in Lincolnshire
.
Its name derives from the type of aircraft (named after its engines
) that it first flew.
; and Carpenter's Transport to distribute the flowers on the UK mainland to wholesale markets. In 1975, these two companies became Express Air Freight.
aircraft to fly flowers and fresh produce from the Channel Islands to Bournemouth Airport
, and consumer goods from the UK via Bournemouth to the Channel Islands. In 1979, the company became Express Air Services and flew contracts for the Royal Mail
to the Channel Islands from Bournemouth
, Bristol
and Liverpool
from 1980.
and Hanover
.
(USM) and had seven Super Dart Herald aircraft. In 1989 it bought the first of three Lockheed Electra
aircraft, as well as having nine Super Dart Herald aircraft. In 1991, the company changed its name to Dart Group PLC and floated on the London Stock Exchange
.
distribution company. The first of seven Fokker F27
aircraft was purchased in 1994. Its airline group, Channel Express (Air Services) bought its first 257-seater Airbus A-300B4
in 1996. It was converted to become a freighter at BAE Systems in Filton
. A southern distribution centre is built in Portsmouth
in 1999 under the Channel Express name. The Coolchain distribution company in Kent was bought in 1999. By 2000 the company had 1500 employess and two divisions (air and freight distribution). In 2001, two Boeing 737
aircraft were purchased with a quick-change facility allowing a freight aircraft to transform into a passenger aircraft in only 30 minutes.
began flying from Leeds-Bradford Airport to mainland Europe destinations. Fowler-Welch and Coolchain merged to become Fowler-Welch Coolchain Ltd in 2003. Eight Boeing 737-300 aircraft (of which five were passenger aircraft) were purchased in 2003 to bring the total to 14. In 2004, six more Boeing 737-300 passenger aircraft were purchased, and routes from Belfast International Airport
started in April and from Manchester Airport in December. In 2005, routes began from Newcastle Airport
in October and two Boeing 757-200
aircraft were purchased. In 2006, six more Boeing 757-200 passenger aircraft were bought and the Channel Express Portsmouth distribution base was sold to Ferryspeed C.I. Ltd in June. A package holiday
company, Jet2holidays.com, was formed in January 2007.
low cost airline that flies from Leeds Bradford Airport, and the Fowler-Welch Coolchain chilled food distribution
company that is based in Spalding
.
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England, for an airline company based at Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
historically linked with the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and a distribution company based in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
Its name derives from the type of aircraft (named after its engines
Rolls-Royce Dart
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:*...
) that it first flew.
Leased aircraft
The company's operations originated in 1971 when Art Carpenter formed two companies: Carpenter's Air Services Ltd to fly flowers using contracted aircraft to the UK mainland from GuernseyGuernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
; and Carpenter's Transport to distribute the flowers on the UK mainland to wholesale markets. In 1975, these two companies became Express Air Freight.
Purchase of aircraft
In 1978, purchased Handley Page Dart HeraldHandley Page Dart Herald
The Handley Page Dart Herald was a 1950s British turboprop passenger aircraft.-Design and development:In the mid 1950s the Handley Page Aircraft Company developed a new fast short-range regional airliner, intended to replace the venerable Douglas DC-3, particularly in third-world countries...
aircraft to fly flowers and fresh produce from the Channel Islands to Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...
, and consumer goods from the UK via Bournemouth to the Channel Islands. In 1979, the company became Express Air Services and flew contracts for the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
to the Channel Islands from Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
from 1980.
Purchase by Philip Meeson
In 1983, the company changed its name to identify with its regional route, becoming three companies under the Channel Express name, which had the air freight, running of the two Dart Herald aircraft, and the distribution within the UK as separate operations. It was purchased in 1983 by Philip Meeson, becoming Channel Express Group. It was split into Aviation Services and Distribution divisions. In 1985 a third Dart Herald aircraft was bought, which flew an overnight parcels service from Birmingham International Airport to NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
and Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
.
Flotation
Channel Express Group Ltd floated on the UK's Unlisted Securities MarketUnlisted Securities Market
The Unlisted Securities Market , which ran from 1980 to 1996, was a stock exchange set up by the London Stock Exchange to cater for companies too small to qualify for a full listing....
(USM) and had seven Super Dart Herald aircraft. In 1989 it bought the first of three Lockheed Electra
Lockheed L-188 Electra
The Lockheed Model 188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flying in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner produced in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes which prompted an expensive modification program to fix a design...
aircraft, as well as having nine Super Dart Herald aircraft. In 1991, the company changed its name to Dart Group PLC and floated on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
Fowler-Welch
In 1994 it purchased the Spalding-based company Fowler-Welch, a temperature-controlledRefrigerator truck
A refrigerator truck is a van or truck designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Like refrigerator cars, refrigerated trucks differ from simple insulated and ventilated vans , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
distribution company. The first of seven Fokker F27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
aircraft was purchased in 1994. Its airline group, Channel Express (Air Services) bought its first 257-seater Airbus A-300B4
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
in 1996. It was converted to become a freighter at BAE Systems in Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
. A southern distribution centre is built in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in 1999 under the Channel Express name. The Coolchain distribution company in Kent was bought in 1999. By 2000 the company had 1500 employess and two divisions (air and freight distribution). In 2001, two Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft were purchased with a quick-change facility allowing a freight aircraft to transform into a passenger aircraft in only 30 minutes.
Jet2
In 2002, four Boeing 737 aircraft were purchased with two becoming 737 QC (Quick change) aircraft and two as passenger aircraft. From February 2003, the Jet2 low-cost airlineLow-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
began flying from Leeds-Bradford Airport to mainland Europe destinations. Fowler-Welch and Coolchain merged to become Fowler-Welch Coolchain Ltd in 2003. Eight Boeing 737-300 aircraft (of which five were passenger aircraft) were purchased in 2003 to bring the total to 14. In 2004, six more Boeing 737-300 passenger aircraft were purchased, and routes from Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
started in April and from Manchester Airport in December. In 2005, routes began from Newcastle Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
in October and two Boeing 757-200
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
aircraft were purchased. In 2006, six more Boeing 757-200 passenger aircraft were bought and the Channel Express Portsmouth distribution base was sold to Ferryspeed C.I. Ltd in June. A package holiday
Package holiday
A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided like a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday. Transport can be via charter airline to a foreign country...
company, Jet2holidays.com, was formed in January 2007.
Operations
The company has the Jet2.comJet2.com
Jet2.com Limited is a British low-cost airline based at Leeds Bradford Airport, England. It operates services from eight UK bases to 54 destinations. The airline also offers contract charter and air cargo services. Its main base and headquarters is at Leeds Bradford Airport, with smaller bases at...
low cost airline that flies from Leeds Bradford Airport, and the Fowler-Welch Coolchain chilled food distribution
Cold chain
A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range...
company that is based in Spalding
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
.