[Note: Partial motivation, for flying the A310 today (an aircraft I would really like to fly more often), was driven by a (small) recent update by iniBuilds to their original A310 for MSFS. However, as "pmplayer" has already suggested in his post, there is no appreciable (and "perceptible") improvements, that I can see either. Most importantly, the instability (and unpredictable behavior) caused during screenshot captures, remains my primary peeve with this aircraft...]

Anyway, when you think of Airbus, you might recall that A300 (and A310) were the very first Airbus Variants to be produced, initiating the (now-household-name...🙂...) aircraft series with number range (3XX), similar to (7XX) for Boeing, and the rest, as they say, is history. It's said that it was the aviation version of the tale of David and Goliath. The A300 that flew 3 years after the B747, was the world's first twin-engine wide-body jetliner (Boeing's first twin-engine wide-body 767 would appear 9 years after A300). So, the A300 is/was Airbus's genetic root and its very first production aircraft, with the A300B1 been the first ever Airbus sub-variant to take flight. Only two prototypes of the A300B1 variant were built before it was adapted into the A300B2 variant. It's well known that the production variant of A300 (-B2) flew first with Air France, the launch customer of Airbus, thus bringing the Airbus name into the commercial sky and into the folds of a major international operator.

However, the airline to fly the first ever Airbus variant (A300B1) was the (little-known) upstart Belgian Airline TEA (Trans European Airways). Out of the 2 prototypes of A300B1, the second prototype was leased to TEA in 1974, which the airline promptly put into public service. TEA was the brainchild of the Belgian entrepreneur and businessman Georges Gutelman. Driven by Gutelman's vision and dream, TEA became a pioneer in leisure and charter services, before the trend caught on with other operators, leading to intense competition, that would eventually cause the demise of TEA. 

Gutelman's story goes like this. At the start of 1960s, while a student at the University (and on a strict budget as students typical are...🙂...), Gutelman booked a "cheap" transatlantic flight to USA with Saturn Airways, a US Supplemental Air Carrier (whatever that means). I've never heard of Saturn Airways before, but it indeed did exist. However, the flight was cancelled in the last minute. Gutelman was frustrated but not deterred. Despite been a student, he took it upon himself to organize his own charter service by leasing a DC-6 a/c and "convincing" 69 other people to pay 10,000 Belgian Francs. His (personal) charter flight to USA was a resounding success, so much so that Gutelman repeated it annually until the end of his student life. He would then go on to form his own air travel company, and in 1970, would start the Trans European Airways (TEA).

Gutelman must have been pretty good at convincing...considering the humble origin of his airline company. In 1971, he convinced Boeing to take a chance with TEA and let him lease a (quad-jet) Boeing 720 (a 707 derivative). I can only imagine the excitement of Gutelman when the 720 took off for the first time, in commercial service, in the TEA colors (I invite you to look up "Aircraft photo of OO-TEA - Boeing 720-025" for a neat and nostalgic image of this TEA B720; btw, do note "TEA" in the Reg. ID... nice...🙂...). And, no wonder, subsequently, in 1974, he also convinced Airbus to lease one of their (precious) A300B1 prototypes...the convincing process might have gone something like this, "Look here, I am already leasing a 720 from (your competitor) Boeing, so, do not discount me easily. In fact, why don't you lease me your very first a/c (that A300B1) ...it may be good publicity for you..."...🙂...apparently it did work, and TEA became the first airline to order the first airbus variant ever created, ahead of other well-established (European) carriers such Air France, SAS, Swissair, and Lufthansa.

In the 1980s, TEA (of Belgium) would rapidly expand into other nations, resulting in subsidiaries in the United Kingdom (TEA-UK), France (TEA-FRANCE), and Italy (TEA-ITALY). For this post, I am flying a (TEA-FRANCE) livery of A310-300, that caught my attention today.

Hope you enjoy this collection of images, below, of (TEA-FRANCE) A310 with a Cubana title, as it flies here, at the command of yours truly, from EBBR (Brussels Airport), across a short distance of 170 miles, to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG). I did survive on the desktop this full (A310) flight without any un-graceful termination of my virtual flight...🙂.... Moreover, it was a fun flight indeed, culminating in a (near) perfect touchdown into LFPG's (eastward) ILS Runway 08L, as the sun was setting into the (Paris) horizon exactly behind the tail of my (TEA) Airbus A310.

Thanks for viewing...and, while at it, I hope you think a bit about Mr. Gutelman who had started an airline just because he was not willing to put up with the snub by a "cheap" airline...🙂...once...

Great story. And nice shots too!

35 minutes ago, John F said:

Great story. And nice shots too!

Thank you, John...!

Have a good evening and a great Sunday...! Cheers...!

Fine picture set !

cheers 😉

Very interesting story, and great pics, P_7878. I also have never heard of Saturn Airways. 

6 hours ago, pmplayer said:

Fine picture set !

cheers 😉

Appreciated the comment, pmplayer...!

 

2 hours ago, bernd1151 said:

Very interesting story, and great pics, P_7878. I also have never heard of Saturn Airways. 

Thanks, bernd.

Looks like Saturn Airways (1948-1976) operated 5 DC-8s and 9 Lockheed Electra L-188s, and Mr. Gutelman had probably booked a ticket for a passage to USA on one of their DC-8s... which flight was cancelled in the last minute. I would have been a bit upset too...in the 1960s...🙂...Of course, starting an airline would have been another matter...🙂...

Cheers...!

Nice pictures! 😉 

On 10/7/2024 at 8:50 PM, Alaska738 said:

Nice pictures! 😉 

Thanks a lot, Will. Glad you liked your cup of TEA...🙂...

And by the way  🤣 yes, i would like a cup of tea also.. 😊

cheers 😉

Great set of shots and story!  Cheers,

Calum

On 10/11/2024 at 4:56 AM, CBass said:

Great set of shots and story!  Cheers,

Calum

Thanks much, Calum. Glad you liked the pictures and the story...🙂...Cheers...!