Escape to Romania

LOT Polish Airlines received Lockheed Electra 1085 on March 6, 1937, registration SP-BGE; between September 1 and 12, 1939, five of the airlines' Electras were evacuated from Poland at the start of World War II. These aircraft were interned by the Romanians where they were reregistered, the old 'SP' codes were dropped and replaced with 'YR'. Two months later LOT made a fictitious sale to Imperial Airways, giving the aircraft British registration, and on November 7, 1939, Electra 1085 became G-AGAI. However, the sale and registration were never taken up as the Electra was taken by the Romanian Air Force. According to one of our sources, YR-BGE was stored in Calarasi until at least March 1940; on June 17, 1942, the aircraft was sold to LARES. All that is known is that the aircraft reportedly crashed in 1953, no details or information on the crash is known to us.

Opening of Malmi Airport, May 1938. From: zszachownica.blogspot.com)

Opening of Malmi Airport, May 15, 1938