Why Spotting Was More Interesting in the 1970s and 80s

We all keep up with the latest airlines, aircraft types and colour schemes as part of our hobby, but wasn’t it more interesting in the past?

It may be rose-tinted spectacles through which we look back, but you can certainly agree that there was much more variety in aircraft types and the colour schemes of airlines.

In the 1970s there were still many piston airliners plying their trade alongside early generation jet airliners.

Then by the 1980s there were lots of small leisure airlines trying to make the most of the holiday charter boom, particularly in Europe.

In my new book, Lost Airline Colours of Europe, the glory days of airlines and aircraft that could be seen in the past are presented in full colour. In some cases they are airlines no longer with us, whilst in others we see airlines that are still with us today but look very different.

Here’s a selection of pictures showing why spotting was more interesting in the 1970s and 80s.

British Airways Trident 3B, with Balair Douglas DC-9s in the background.

Caledonian operated this Boeing 747-200 on charter services during the 1980s.

Northeast Airlines was a regional airline from the UK which would merge into the newly formed British Airways in 1974.

Douglas DC-8s were much more common in the 1980s, including this example flown by Swiss airline Balair.

CSA Czech Airlines famously flew its aircraft in ‘OK Jet’ colours through the 1970s and 80s before the modern scheme was adopted.

TAP Air Portugal is of course still with us, but its colour scheme in the 1970s was much different to today.

British Airways flew lots of BAC One-Eleven aircraft on regional and domestic services.

Balkan Bulgarian Airlines is no longer with us. In the 1980s it flew aircraft like this Antonov 12 from its Sofia base.

Itavia was an Italian domestic airline which flew Douglas DC-9s and Handley Page Heralds. It suffered a fatal crash with one of its DC-9s.

Olympic was the national airline of Greece, flying Boeing 707s, 727s and 737s out of the original Athens airport, seen here.

Which airlines do you miss the most? Leave a comment below.

Lost Airline Colours of Europe

Through full colour archive photographs this book traces many of the schemes which were familiar across Europe, including national carriers, leisure airlines from the holiday charter boom, and regional airlines feeding our smaller airports. Many airlines in these pages have now been lost forever, and others continue in a completely revised scheme. Available now.