Crown Line Aviation Boeing 707-120B

The Crown Line was founded as a shipping company in 1904. It was owned and started by Albert Fenton, a former Royal Navy sailor. Throughout the 20th century, the company operated several tramp steamers on primarily transatlantic voyages to the US and the Caribbean. By 1950, The Crown Line had become one of the largest shipping companies based in Britain.

In 1968, The Crown Line sought to diversify their services after dwindling returns. The following year, the company purchased a small airline by the name of Anglian Airways, based out of London Luton. The transaction was worth roughly 30 million pounds and transferred ownership of the airline from the Holdsworth Group to the Crown Line. Anglian was rebranded as Crown Line Aviation in 1970.

Crown Line Aviation operated as a leisure airline that sold holiday packages via its two subsidiary companies Sunny Days and Horizon. Its fleet consisted of BAC 1-11s and 707s inherited from the Holdsworth era. These aircraft wore a jellybean color scheme, with its four 707 aircraft wearing purple, red, and blue. Colors like green and orange were added later on.