Formation and early years in
1970|alt= |alt= What would eventually become GB Airways was established in , as an offshoot of
Gibraltarian
shipping company MH Bland, in
Gibraltar. The new venture, which was initially known as
Gibraltar Airways, was embarked on as a consequence of the
Great Depression, its parent company being keen to find alternative avenues of business. During the
Second World War, the airline represented
Imperial Airways /
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), providing management, staff, and local agents on their behalf to support operations.
Relocation to Britain and later years In
1985, the airline, which was by then known as 'GB Airways', was headquartered in Gibraltar. In
1989, the company moved its operational HQ to the United Kingdom in order to increase the scope for expansion. in
British Airways livery landing at
Gibraltar International Airport in
2007|alt= The relationship with
British Airways (BA) was firmly entrenched in
1995, when it became a full British Airways
franchise operator, with BA relinquishing its financial holding in the airline. Reasons for the airline's hardships reportedly included overcapacity on an increasingly competitive environment, as well as constraints that had been imposed by its franchise agreement with BA, limiting commercial freedom. In response to these losses, former BA executive and
Britannia Airways managing director Kevin Hatton was recruited in 2006 to manage the company and to seek options for the business.
Acquisition by easyJet On 25 October 2007, it was announced that GB Airways was to be sold to
easyJet. easyJet had issued a formal offer for the airline two months prior, followed by weeks of intense negotiation; while British Airways had the option to purchase GB Airways itself under the terms of their franchise agreement in such an eventuality, the company chose not to exercise it. The deal was worth
£103.5 million, and was used to expand easyJet operations at London Gatwick, as well as to commence operations from
Manchester Airport, EasyJet having been hitherto contractually banned from operating at Manchester under its agreement with
Liverpool Airport. GB Airways continued to honour its
British Airways franchise agreement, and continued to operate as GB Airways until 29 March 2008, after which all aircraft were transferred to easyJet. Slots used by GB Airways at London Heathrow Airport were not included in the sale, these were sold to other airlines for an estimated £100 million. Two aircraft (G-TTOB and G-TTOE) were sold to British Airways, while the others were returned to the lessors if not part of the sale to easyJet. The remainder transferred to easyJet, and were operated in hybrid scheme for a season, before being sold to other airlines. ==Destinations==