Boeing 747-200 | 1997

(TOP)
Airline - British International
Aircraft - Boeing 747-200 | G-MZSC
Delivered to Global Airlines, 1986
Sold to British International, 1997
Stored at Mojave Air & Space Port, 2003
Scrapped at Mojave Air & Space Port, 2004
Livery - Standard 1997
Country - Great Britain

(BOTTOM)
Airline - British International
Aircraft - Boeing 747-200 Combi | G-MZSE
Delivered to Air Italia, 1979
Sold to British International, 1997
Stored at Mojave Air & Space Port, 2005
Scrapped at Mojave Air & Space Port, 2007
Livery - Standard 1997
Country - Great Britain

British International was founded in 1997, operating twelve aircraft out of London Stansted at first. The airline's name was designed to appeal to memories of British International Airlines, the carrier which had been merged into Royal Airways 22 years prior, and in fact the owners of British International ended up paying for the rights to the name. It began operations with the financial support of Global Airlines (which originally owned a 7% stake in the new carrier), which guaranteed leases of five Airbus A320s to begin European flights with, in addition to the six 747s in the fleet in 1997. These included 3 each of the -200 and -300 models, as well as one -200M (Combi) aircraft. The three 747-200s (as well as a fourth one a year later) were sold to British International by Global Airlines. All the -200s continued to be operated until the middle of the next decade, however the -300s were sold after just three years, when deliveries of the 747-400 were made.

The 747s were used for long-range flights to holiday destinations, mostly to the Caribbean, which is especially where the Combi was made good use of, flying large amounts of cargo to small island nations, in addition to two hundred British holidaymakers. That aircraft, G-MZSE, is shown here with an unpainted engine number one, after the engine had to be replaced due to a collision with some mobile boarding stairs on the ground in Punta Cana.