List of de Havilland Comet operators

Below is a compilation of both civil and military users of the de Havilland Comet since its debut in 1952.

Argentina

• Aerolíneas Argentinas placed an order for six Comet 4 aircraft in 1958, receiving deliveries during 1959 and 1960. Their inaugural flight occurred on 16 April 1959, connecting Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile. Following the loss of three units, a replacement Comet 4C was acquired in 1962. From 1966, the remaining planes were reassigned from international to domestic routes before being retired and sold to Dan-Air in 1971.

Australia

• Qantas Empire Airways operated seven different Comet 4 aircraft on lease in the early 1960s, primarily servicing the Sydney to Singapore corridor.

Canada

• Canadian Pacific Airlines never operated Comets in service; one Comet 1A was lost during delivery and another order was cancelled.

Ceylon

• Air Ceylon utilized BOAC Comet 4s on a charter basis during the early 1960s for international routes. These aircraft retained their BOAC livery but bore Air Ceylon branding.

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Central Africa Federation)

• Central African Airways conducted weekly flights between Salisbury and London by wet leasing BOAC Comets throughout the early 1960s.

East African Community (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania)

• East African Airways procured three Comet 4s between 1960 and 1962, deploying them on European routes for approximately ten years. Additionally, they chartered one Comet 4 from BOAC/Dan Air during 1965–66, followed by three more short-term charters consecutively in 1970–71. By this period, these aircraft were primarily engaged in inter-African services.

Ecuador

• AREA Ecuador received a single Comet 4 in 1966, which was used on flights connecting Quito with Miami. In 1968, this aircraft was seized in Miami where it remained under legal custody until it was dismantled in 1978.

Egypt

• Misrair took delivery of two new Comet 4Cs in 1960. That same year, the airline became United Arab Airlines, which added seven more Comet 4Cs throughout the decade. When United Arab Airlines transitioned into EgyptAir in 1971, four of these aircraft were transferred to the new entity; all were eventually sold during the 1970s.

File:Olympic Airways Comet Groves.jpg

Olympic Airways Comet 4 at Paris in 1963

France

File:Air France De Havilland DH.106 Comet 1A (F-BGNX) at Hatfield.jpg

One of three Comets operated by Air France seen at the Hatfield factory in May 1953

• Air France briefly operated three brand-new Comet 1As during the 1950s before withdrawing them from service.
• Union Aéromaritime de Transport also briefly flew three new Comet 1As in the same decade; one was lost and the remaining two were retired from operations.

Greece

• In 1960, Olympic Airways received four new Comet 4B aircraft, which were operated jointly with BEA under a pooling agreement.

Indonesia

• In 1972, Merpati Nusantara Airlines operated a Comet 2 aircraft.

Kuwait

• During the 1960s, Kuwait Airways flew one pre-owned Comet 4 and two brand-new Comet 4Cs.

Lebanon

• Middle East Airlines (MEA) placed an order for four Comet 4Cs in 1959, with deliveries completed by 1961. Their fleet was further supported by leased planes from BOAC during 1960 and 1961, as well as from Kuwait Airways between 1968 and 1969. In 1968, three of MEA’s Comets were destroyed following an Israeli attack on Beirut Airport.

File:MSA Comet Groves.jpg

Malaysia-Singapore Airlines Comet 4 at Hong Kong in 1966

Malaysia

• Throughout the 1960s, Malaysian Airways operated five second-hand Comet 4 aircraft before transitioning to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines in 1966.

Malaysia (Singapore)

• When Malaysia-Singapore Airlines was established in 1966, it inherited five Comet 4s from Malaysian Airways and acquired two additional Comet 4s in the subsequent years of 1967 and 1968. All these aircraft were sold to Dan-Air London by 1969.

Mexico

• Mexicana also operated the de Havilland Comet Mk. 4C.

Portugal

• Between 1959 and 1962, Transportes Aéreos Portugueses chartered a British European Airways Comet 4B to provide service on the London-Lisbon route.

File:Sudan Airways Comet Fitzgerald.jpg

Sudan Airways Comet 4C at Heathrow in 1972

Saudi Arabia

• The Saudi Arabian government ordered a Comet 4C specifically for King Saud bin Abdul Aziz. Delivered in 1962, this aircraft was lost in a crash the following year.

South Africa

• Between 1953 and 1954, South African Airways leased two Comets from BOAC for their operations.

Sudan

• In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sudan Airways operated two newly delivered Comet 4Cs.

United Kingdom

• BEA Airtours, a subsidiary of British European Airways formed in 1970 to handle inclusive tour charter flights, utilized Comet 4Bs that were transferred from BEA. These aircraft were converted into a single-class tourist configuration with a seating capacity of 109 and remained in service until being phased out starting in 1972, replaced by Boeing 707s.
• British European Airways (BEA) placed an order for six Comet 4Bs in 1957, receiving the first two on November 16, 1959, for deployment on European routes. Eventually, BEA operated a total of eighteen Comet 4Bs; two were lost due to accidents, and most were reassigned to BEA Airtours by 1970.
• British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) took delivery of ten Comet 1As during the 1950s but withdrew them following the findings of the Cohen Inquiry into early Comet accidents. Subsequently, BOAC received nineteen Comet 4 models from 1957 onwards.
• In 1970, Channel Airways acquired five Comet 4Bs from British European Airways. These aircraft were modified to accommodate a high-density layout with seating for up to 109 passengers and used primarily for inclusive tour charters departing from the UK. One was retired in 1971 due to reaching its operational limit; after Channel Airways entered receivership in 1972, Dan-Air acquired the remaining planes.
• Dan-Air, also known as Dan-Air London, purchased all remaining airworthy Comet 4s during the late '60s through the '70s. While some were used for parts recovery, most were actively flown on inclusive tour charter services. The airline amassed a total of forty-eight Comets across various marks.

Military

File:DeHavilland Comet.jpg

Comet C2 XK715 from No. 216 Squadron Royal Air Force at Filton Bristol in 1964

Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force
  • 412 Squadron operated the Comet 1A from 1953 to 1963, later upgraded to the 1XB variant

United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
  • 51 Squadron flew Comet C2 and 2R models between 1958 and 1975
  • 192 Squadron utilized Comet C2 and 2R aircraft during 1957–1958
  • 216 Squadron operated Comet C2 and C4 variants from 1956 until 1975
• Royal Aircraft Establishment

See also

• Hawker Siddeley Nimrod

Bibliography

• Antennas and Propagation, Part 1. London: Institution of Electrical Engineers, 1978. ISBN 0-85296-196-0.
• Darling, Kev. De Havilland Comet. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-58007-036-1.
• Davies, R.E.G. and Philip J. Birtles. Comet: The World's First Jet Airliner. McLean, Virginia: Paladwr Press, 1999. ISBN 1-888962-14-3.
• Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam, Third edition, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-802-X.
• Jones, Barry. "Database: D.H. 016 Comet." Aeroplane, Volume 38, No. 4, Issue no. 444, April 2010.
• Painter, Martin. The D.H.106 Comet - An Illustrated History. Tunbridge Wells, UK: Air-Britain, 2002/ Template:Isbn.
• Roach, J. R. and A. B. Eastwood. Jet Airliner Production List. West Drayton, UK: The Aviation Hobby Shop, 1992, ISBN 0-907178-43-X.
• Walker, Timothy. The First Jet Airliner: The Story of the de Havilland Comet. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Scoval Publishing Ltd., 2000. ISBN 1-902236-05-X.