Palestine Airways


Palestine Airways was an airline founded by Zionist Pinhas Rutenberg in British Palestine, in conjunction with the Histadrut and the Jewish Agency. In 1937 the airline was taken over by British Government's Air Ministry, with the intention of it eventually being transferred back into private hands.
It operated from July 1937 until August 1940, under the aegis of the British corporation Imperial Airways.

History

The airline was registered as a private aviation company in December 1934, with financial and technical assistance from Imperial Airways. Based in Haifa, in July 1937 it commenced commercial flights 3 times a week to Lydda. This line operated for several months, but was discontinued when Arab hostilities worsened, and the danger to passengers travelling from Tel Aviv, the main Jewish population centre, to Lydda Airport through Arab majority territory overland, became too great In October 1938 Palestinian Airways moved its main base to the newly built Tel Aviv Airport and commenced operations on the Tel Aviv to Haifa route, flying twice a day in their de Havilland Rapide. The route was later extended from Haifa to Beirut.
Palestine Airways ceased operations in August 1940 when its aircraft were taken over by the RAF for use in the war effort.

Aircraft

Initially in July 1937 the airline flew two twin-engine, five seat, cantilever Short Scion monoplanes. In 1938 two additional aircraft were acquired - a de Havilland Dragon Rapide and a Short Scion Senior landplane version of the float-plane.