ANKARA may have not been the easiest of places to get to in recent times, a situation now retrieved by British Airways in the form of franchise operator BMED with a new daily service (incidentally featuring a proper 2+2 business class ” more anon) but it seems that predecessor BEA (British European Airways for you younger elements) has been involved with Turkey”s capital since 1946 with a Vickers Viking, a sort of British version of the DC3. It went Northolt ” Marseilles ” Rome (Ciampino) ” Athens (Nightstop) ” Istanbul ” Ankara. Then the Viscount arrived which could make Rome non-stop followed in the sixties by a Comet 4B jet (10 first + 79 tourist) again via Rome, Athens, Istanbul. British Airways archives have the full details. Alexander (Lord) Heskith, BMED chairman, was in good form at the British embassy when the airline last week made its first landing .
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