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Air Union was a French
airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...
established on 1 January 1923, as the result of a merger between the airlines '' Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes'' and '' Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens''. Air Union was merged with four other French airlines to become Air France on 7 October 1933.


Fleet


Accidents and incidents

*On 7 May 1923, Farman F.60 Goliath F-AEGP ''Flandre'' was damaged in a forced landing at Lympne, Kent. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service. *On 14 May 1923, Goliath F-AEBY crashed at Monsures, Somme, killing all six people on board. The aircraft was on a scheduled international passenger flight from
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to
Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
*On 27 August 1923, Farman F.60 Goliath F-AECB crashed at East Malling,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Paris to Croydon. A precautionary landing was made at Lympne due to weather, following which the flight was resumed. One engine later failed and the aircraft crashed following misunderstanding of an instruction for a number of passengers to move towards the rear of the aircraft, affecting the centre of gravity and causing the aircraft to enter a spin. *On 3 December 1923, Goliath F-AEIF force-landed at Littlestone-on-Sea, Kent following technical failure; all on board survived, but the aircraft, operating a flight from Paris to Croydon, was written off. *On 22 January 1924, Goliath F-GEAO was destroyed by fire following an accident when landing at
Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
. *On 6 August 1924, Farman F.60 Goliath F-ADDT ''Languedoc'' was on a scheduled international passenger flight from Paris to Croydon when the port engine failed. A forced landing was made at
Golden Green Golden Green is a village in the Medway valley near Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) from the larger village of Hadlow (of which it is part of the civil parish) and from the town of Tonbridge. Location Golden Green h ...
,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. One person amongst the pilot and five passengers on board was injured. The aircraft was dismantled to allow removal. It was later repaired and returned to service. *On 8 February 1925, a Farman Goliath crashed whilst attempting to land at Lympne. The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Paris to Croydon when an engine failed over the Channel. *On 16 October 1925, Goliath F-HMFU ''Île de France'' of Air Union crashed at Wadhurst,
East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
. Three passengers were killed and two were injured. The aircraft may have been repaired and returned to service as its registration was not cancelled until 1 June 1932. Its fuselage is preserved at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris. *On 14 November 1925, Farman F.60 Goliath F-FHMY ditched in the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
off Boulogne. The badly damaged aircraft was salvaged and rebuilt as an F.63, returning to service in 1929, but was written off after a 1930 crash. *On 31 May 1926, Bréguet 14T bis F-ADAI disappeared over the English Channel during a Paris-Croydon mail flight. Neither the aircraft nor the pilot have been found. *On 18 August 1926, Blériot 155 F-AIEB '' Wilbur Wright'' crashed south of Lympne Airport,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, killing two crew and two passengers. *On 2 October 1926, Blériot 155 F-AICQ '' Clement Ader'' crashed at Leigh, Kent following an in-flight fire. Both crew and all five passengers were killed. *On 10 March 1927, Goliath F-AEGP of Air Union made a forced landing near
Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...
, Kent following an engine failure. *On 24 November 1927, Goliath F-GEAB of Air Union was severely damaged in a forced landing at Yaldham Manor, Wrotham, Kent. The aircraft was later repaired and returned to service. *On 6 March 1928, Goliath F-AECU ''Normandie'' of Air Union crashed at Hythe, Kent. The aircraft may have been repaired and returned to service as its registration was not cancelled until 1 June 1932. *On 11 March 1928, Goliath F-AEFC crashed into the English Channel whilst operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Paris to Croydon. The aircraft had landed at Saint-Inglevert to await an improvement in the weather before continuing its journey. and the passenger (or passengers) had decided to continue the journey by boat. The aircraft broadcast a Mayday before it crashed into the sea killing both crew. The bodies of the victims were picked up by the Southern Railway's ferry . *On 19 May 1929 Farman F.63bis Goliath F-GEAI, on a flight from Croydon to Paris crashed at Keylands Sidings near Paddock Wood railway station, it stopped yards from the signal box and was destroyed by fire, the pilot and mechanic escaped with minor injuries. *On 31 July 1929, Goliath F-GEAB of Air Union, on a flight from London to Paris carrying
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
bullion was damaged in a forced landing near Smarden in Kent, bushes on the riverbank stopped the aircraft entering the River Beult although some of the gold bullion it was carrying ended up in the river, the bullion was recovered by spectators and transferred by lorry to Lympne for onward transport to Paris. The aircraft may have been repaired and returned to service as its registration was not cancelled until 1 June 1932. *On 15 November 1929, Lioré et Olivier LeO H-190 F-AIGB disappeared off Cape Zivia in fog with three on board; the wreckage has never been found. The aircraft was operating a flight from Marseille to Tunis. *On 10 February 1930, Farman F.63 Goliath F-FHMY crashed at Marden Airfield,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
following structural failure of the starboard elevator. Two passengers killed of the six people on board. *On 1 May 1930, Farman F.63 Goliath F-ADCA crashed at
Penshurst Penshurst is a historic village and civil parishes in England, civil parish located in a valley upon the northern slopes of the Weald, Kentish Weald, at the confluence of the River Medway and the River Eden, Kent, River Eden, within the Seveno ...
,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
after encountering a heavy squall whilst on a flight form Le Bourget to Croydon. *On 25 July 1930, Lioré et Olivier LeO 21 F-AIZO ''Golden Ray/Rayan dOr'' made a forced landing at Snave, Kent following an engine failure. The aircraft was dismantled and removed to Hythe, Kent. *On 17 January 1931, Bréguet 280T F-AIVU crashed whilst attempting to land at Lympne. The aircraft caught the boundary fence and crashed onto the airfield, damaging the forward fuselage and undercarriage. Of the eight people on board, one of the crew was injured. *On 23 April 1931, Farman F.60 Goliath F-ADDT ''Languedoc'' of Air Union crashed at Widehurst Farm, Marden after taking off from Marden. The aircraft was carrying mail. *17 September 1932, Lioré et Olivier 213 F-AIFE struck a tree in poor visibility and crashed at Selsdon Park, United Kingdom while on approach to Croydon Airport, killing the pilot; the co-pilot survived.


Further reading


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References

{{Airlines of France Airlines established in 1923 Defunct airlines of France Airlines disestablished in 1933 French companies established in 1923 Defunct seaplane operators 1933 disestablishments in France