British European Airways (BEA) or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974.
Formed in 1946 by an Act of Parliament, BEA compulsorily acquired the aircraft fleets and routes of most UK private airlines then operating scheduled services within the UK and Europe. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom. BEA was the largest domestic airline within the United Kingdom, operating flights to major British cities, including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast and Glasgow.
BEA was the first customer for British-built short- and medium-haul airliners of the 1950s and 1960s, including the Vickers Viscount, Vickers Vanguard, BAC One-Eleven 500 and Hawker Siddeley Trident. In 1969 BEA formed a charter subsidiary BEA Airtours to provide inclusive tour holiday charters. BEA ceased operations in 1974 when it was merged with the British Overseas Airways Corporation to form British Airways. The airline IATA code was BE with the callsign Beeline.
