G-AVZZ Barbados Beauty Pt2: Laker's Caribbean

Following its collapse other British independents picked over British Eagle's carcass. Laker Airways signed an agreement with Kleinwort Benson to charter the two 707s. Laker itself, the brainchild of its founder Freddie Laker, had only been operating since 1966 and was utilising Britannias and One-Elevens on charters. Laker however had much grander plans...

He was keen to start low-cost 'Skytrain' services across the pond. Unsurprisingly BOAC and Pan Am were less keen! It was these new routes the 707s were to be used for but Skytrain was delayed for years and only eventually began in 1977. Laker used the 707s on standard Mediterranean charter routes from Gatwick to Palma or Tenerife but was able to also replace Britannia's on a series of affinity group charters (ABCs) across the Atlantic to the USA and Canada. G-AVZZ operated a three month lease to Nigeria Airways in 1970, however she was destined once again to become a regular in the Caribbean - this time in the colours of International Caribbean Airways.

International Caribbean was a joint venture between Laker and several Barbados businessmen. The 707 took up new titles and the barbados flag replaced the Union Jack on the fuselage. A weekly Luxembourg-Barbados service was begun in December 1970, which was increased to twice weekly and then routed via Gatwick. In addition the aircraft could be seen flying from West Germany and Canada to Barbados. In January 1975 IATA designated the carrier as the national airline of Barbados.

Both 707-138Bs were sold to Charlotte Aircraft Corp in December 1978. G-AVZZ had been joined by a sub-leased Laker DC-10 (G-BBSZ) earlier in 1977 which operated with a modified scheme including a much larger flag. This was short-lived however as presumably the DC-10 was required for the new Skytrain services.

Sometime in 1978 it appears that AVZZ was returned to Laker and regained the standard Laker livery. Caribbean Airways (as it was known by then) gained a pair of leased Laker 707-320s (G-BFBS and BFBZ 'Bridgetown') by September 1978 as replacement.

G-AVZZ became N50JJ, then N500JJ, and was broken up at Paris Le Bourget in July 1983.

The timetable image is taken from the collection of Björn Larsson at the excellent http://www.timetableimages.com