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The story
BUIA commenced operations on 1 November 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of BUA (Holdings) Ltd, taking over BUA's regional domestic and international routes, the majority of which served the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man on a seasonal basis.
BUIA's main operating bases were at Gatwick, Southampton, Blackpool (Squires Gate), Exeter, Jersey and the Isle of Man. Services from Gatwick and Southampton to the Channel islands and from Blackpool to the Isle of Man and Belfast operated year-round. All other services were seasonal summer only services. Dublin and Paris Orly were among the international destinations served.
BUIA competed with British European Airways (BEA) on scheduled routes linking London with the two main Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. While BUIA's flights used Gatwick as their London terminal, BEA served these routes from Heathrow.
In addition to scheduled and non-scheduled passenger services, BUIA also operated all-cargo services — both scheduled and non-scheduled. Düsseldorf was one of the international scheduled freight destinations.
BUIA gradually retired older piston airliners and mainline turboprops it inherited from BUA at the time of its creation. By 1968, BUIA operated its last DC-3 passenger flight. Eventually, all passenger flights were operated with Handley Page Dart Herald turboprops, while a small number of DC-3s was retained for freight services and as backup aircraft.
B&C's disenchantment with BUA's financial performance resulted in the sale of BUA to the Scottish charter airline Caledonian Airways on 30 November 1970. This sale specifically excluded BUIA. It therefore became a wholly owned subsidiary of B&C, which had taken direct control following its divestment of BUA. on 20 July 1970 BUIA changed its name to British Island Airways (BIA) and adopted a new livery.
From Wikipedia’s article on British United Island Airways, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3