The need for a contemporary aircraft
was exempli ed within BEA’s Internal
German Services (IGS), an operation
performed out of West Berlin to various
West German cities, on which competitor
Pan American Airways had recently
removed its four-engined Douglas DC-6s
in favour of Boeing 727s. Mindful of losing
passengers to the new tri-jets, BEA asked
the UK Government to place an order for
the new Boeing 737.
The government refused, although at the
same time it allowed BOAC to buy airliners
from Boeing, because it considered there
was no suitable alternative. Getting BEA to
buy British would protect jobs and the One-
Eleven was an practicable choice.
The government said BEA’s case was
“complex” and, as a ‘sweetener’, told the
airline it would take steps to ensure that it
was able to operate as a “fully commercial
undertaking with the eet it acquired”.
BEA approached BAC and placed an
order for 18 One-Eleven series 510ED
aircraft for use on its West Berlin services
and some international routes, largely those
radiating from its base at Manchester’s
Ringway airport.
The order included an option for a further
six subject to the lengthening of runwaysat Jersey and Guernsey, which would be
required to facilitate viable operations with
the new type. However, those options were
never taken up.INTO SERVICE
BEA adopted the name ‘Super One-Eleven’
and the rst example, G-AVMJ, was delivered
on August 29, 1968. Powered by two Rolls-
Royce Spey 512-14E engines, the aircraft
had 97 seats in a single-class, economy,
cabin, where passengers were provided
with a ‘tiffin’ (snack) tray service consisting
of cold meals, hot beverages and alcoholic
drinks. While it would have been possible to
provide hot food by replacing three seats with
an additional galley unit, the airline opted to
maximise its revenue potential.
The aircraft was tted with an outward
opening door on the forward port side and a
ventral stairway with built-in airstairs at the
rear. Unlike other customers, BEA declined
the option of a set of forward airstairs, largely
because of the nose-docking arrangements
at London Heathrow, instead choosing to
use ground service equipment.
All of the airline’s One-Eleven 510EDs
were to be tted with the non-standard
Smiths Industries’ SF5 ight director and
compass systems, with the instrument23Main photo: One of the nine -400 series that served with British Airways’ regional division after the merger of BEA and BOAC. AirTeamImages.com/
Wolfgang Mendorf
Above: Manchester was one of three Shuttle cities served from Heathrow. AirTeamImages.com/Carl Ford
Left: BEA received its rst example in 1968 and referred to the type as the Super One-Eleven. Bob O’Brien Collection