British United Air Ferries Officer Lesley Hardy became Britain's first airliner flown by an all-female crew. On 1 January 1979, BAF transferred its entire scheduled operation including associated aircraft and staff to British Island Airways (BIA). Following British Airways's decision to withdraw from its loss-making regional routes and to retire its Vickers Viscount turboprop fleet, BAF acquired the entire 18-strong fleet along with the spares inventory during the early 1980s. This acquisition made it the world's largest Viscount operator at the time. As a result of the changes the airline underwent in the late 1970s and early 1980s, BAF mainly concentrated on leasing, charter
Airliner major airline for which they provide this "feeder" service, so the regional airlines may offer and market a seamless transition between the larger airline to smaller airline. Typical aircraft in this category include the Bombardier CRJ and Embraer ERJ regional jets along with the Bombardier "Q" (DASH-8) series, ATR 42/72 and Saab 340/2000 turboprop airliners. The lightest (light aircraft) of short-haul regional feeder airliner type aircraft that carry 19 or fewer passenger seats are called commuter aircraft, commuterliners, feederliners, and air taxis, depending on their size, engines, how they are marketed, region of the world, and seating configurations. The Beechcraft