Find Lost Airlines Through European Museum Aircraft

There are so many lost airlines which we remember from the past, or from looking at old picture books of airports in days gone by. Many airlines are still household names to most of us, despite not being seen in our skies for a long time. Think Dan Air, SABENA or Swissair.

Here’s a look at some of the aircraft to be found in museums around Europe which once flew for these famous airlines.

Swissair Convair 990 HB-ICC

Swiss Museum of Transport, Lucerne

Dan Air de Havilland Comet 4B G-BDIX

National Museum of Flight East Fortune, Scotland

You can also see a Dan Air Comet 4B at the Hermeskeil Museum in Germany, and another example is in the Science Museum Store at Wroughton, England.

Monarch Bristol Britannia G-AOVT

Duxford Imperial War Museum

Monarch Britannia on display at Duxford Museum.

It’s sad to think that Monarch is not with us any more, being one of the casualties of 2017. Thankfully their history is represented with this preserved Bristol Britannia at Duxford.

[Monarch Airlines 1967-2017: Our Tribute]

MALEV Tupolev Tu-134 HA-LBE

Budapest Airport Museum

Photo (c) Erik Ritterbach

This great little collection of aircraft next to the terminal at Budapest Airport also includes a former MALEV Ilyushin IL-18, HA-MOA.

Air Inter Dassault Mercure F-BTTD

Paris Le Bourget Museum de l’air et l’espace

[Read our Paris Le Bourget Air and Space Museum Trip Report]

Air UK Handley Page Herald G-ASKK

City of Norwich Aviation Museum

The small museum next to Norwich Airport represents the former UK regional airline which was absorbed into KLM Cityhopper. As well as the Herald you’ll find an Air UK Fokker F27 here.

SABENA Sud Caravelle OO-SRA

Brussels Army Museum

Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 DDR-STH

Hermeskeil Museum, Germany

One of many rare airliners at this German museum. There’s also an Interflug Tupolev Tu-134 here.

NLM Fokker F27 PH-FHF

Aviodrome Lelystad

The forerunner to KLM Cityhopper was NLM Airlines. This early F27 is preserved at the Aviodrome Museum in Lelystad.

Spantax Beech 18 EC-ASJ

Malaga Airport Aviation Museum

There’s a small collection of airliners hidden in a corner at Malaga Airport’s aviation museum, including this Spantax Beech 18.

Braathens SAFE Fokker F28 LN-SUC

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø

An unusual location in the far north of Norway where this F28 Fellowship takes pride of place.

JAT Yugoslav Airlines Sud Caravelle YU-AHB

Belgrade Museum of Aviation

The museum at Belgrade Airport is also expected to take a former JAT Boeing 727 for display in the near future.

Relive the glory days of Europe’s lost airlines through our book Lost Airlines of Europe Timelines. Packed full of colour photographs of classic jets and props, leisure airlines, national airlines no longer in our skies, and airlines that still exist today but looked very different back then. Available now here.