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Brief History of Cheap Air Travel in Europe

1977 - Fredie Laker's Skytrain DC-10s flew from London Gatwick to New York for £59 each way. The company folded in 1982.

1991 - Ryanair launch a no-frills airline. It has grown from from one daily flight on a 15 seater plane to 35 million passengers a year by 2006.

1995 - easyJet launch a no-frills airline. In 2006 it flies 2006 people day around Europe and employs 3,000 crew. There is a fleet of 110 aircraft and by 2008/2009 sholus have 170. New flights outside Europe launched in March 2006 to Marrakesh in Morocco. easyJet flies more passengers between the UK and Spain than BA and Iberia combined.

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March 2006 - Europe bans more than 90 airlines from its airports

As part of a plan to to tighten safety and maintenance protection after several air disasters more than 60 airlines have been banned. Regulations from 25 EU countries and Norway and Switzerland agreed to pool information and prevent airlines - most of which are based in Africa from flying to any of their airports. European transport commissioner Jacques Barrot announced the ban. Carriers from Congo, Sierra Leone and Swaziland. One African airline Air Mauritania has been given a "grace" period to meet regulations. Other Countries that have had airlines blacklisted are: Afghanistan, North Korea, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyztan.

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