Orion Airways Heavy Knit Quarter-Zip Sweatshirt
Orion Airways tells a compact story of ambition and change in British holiday aviation. Established by Horizon Travel in 1978, it began operations in 1980 and built a fleet that reached eleven Boeing 737-200s by summer 1984. The airline later introduced Boeing 737-300s, operated Airbus A300s, and expanded into scheduled holiday flying. Its final flight came in January 1989, when it was integrated into Britannia. This quarter-zip sweatshirt celebrates the people, aircraft, and transitions behind that distinctive airline chapter.
Orion Airways Ltd., usually known as Orion, was a United Kingdom airline established by Horizon Travel in late 1978 to support its package-holiday business amid a shortage of charter capacity. It began flying on 28 March 1980 with three Boeing 737-200s. The fleet grew to 11 of that type by summer 1984, and from 1985 the airline began replacing them with Boeing 737-300s. It also operated Airbus A300s. From 1984, Orion took on charter work for other tour operators. In 1986 it received permission to operate scheduled holiday services from airports in Castle Donington and Birmingham, starting on 4 September. The Horizon group, including Orion, was bought by the brewing and hotels group Bass in 1987. Thomson Travel Group acquired the group in 1988, and Orion was integrated into Britannia Airways in 1989. Orion’s last flight took place on 26 January 1989; its scheduled licenses transferred to Britannia without interruption. At the end of the 1990 summer season, Britannia withdrew from scheduled services in favor of charter flying. Orion’s former management had formed TEA UK with Belgium’s Trans European Airways; unable to base operations at Orion’s former airport, it chose nearby Birmingham.
| XS | S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | |
| Width, in | 18.50 | 20.00 | 21.50 | 23.00 | 25.00 | 27.00 | 29.50 | 32.50 |
| Length, in | 25.50 | 26.50 | 27.50 | 28.50 | 29.50 | 30.50 | 31.25 | 32.00 |
| Sleeve length (from center back), in | 33.75 | 34.50 | 35.50 | 36.00 | 36.75 | 37.50 | 38.25 | 39.00 |
| Size tolerance, in | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Product features
- 55% cotton / 42% polyester / 3% spandex midweight blend
- Odor-resistant performance fabric
- Silver metal quarter-zip with metal pull
- Self-banded cuffs and hem for structured fit
- Medium-heavy fabric (9.73 oz/yd²) with subtle stretch
Care instructions
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F)
- Non-chlorine: bleach as needed
- Tumble dry: low heat
- Iron, team or dry: medium heat
- Do not dryclean
EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY
Product information: Mercer+Mettle™ MM3040, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC
Care instructions: Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F), Non-chlorine: bleach as needed, Tumble dry: low heat, Iron, team or dry: medium heat, Do not dryclean