It also flew scheduled routes and was important in the development of Coach-air services, leading to the founding of Skyways Coach Air and the start of the Inclusive Tour (IT) industry.

[4] In July 1945. two months after the end of WWII, LAC acquired its first aircraft, a De Havilland Rapide based it at Stanley Park, and started doing pleasure flights.

[5] The fleet quickly grew, with two more Rapides added early that year and three new Airspeed Consuls joining during the summer and generally operating from Squires Gate.

[7] LAC incorporated single-engined Percival Proctors and Auster V light aircraft into the fleet, used for pleasure and charter flights along with army cooperation flying, often as targets for anti-aircraft gunnery and radar training.

In September 1946 LAC took a big step with the purchase of five Handley Page Halifax C.8 four-engined military transport aircraft from the RAF.

LAC then started charter flights from Squires Gate and Bovingdon and would go on to own at least 34 of the type, including the Halton 10-seat passenger variant, until the last were retired in 1953.

In 1932 they linked with W. Armitage and Sons (Progress buses) to bring passengers from towns in Yorkshire to Blackpool to fly onwards to the Isle of Man in the airline's Saro Cutty Sark three-passenger amphibian.

[9] Eric Rylands resurrected this idea in 1947 with Squires Gate as his hub, and it proved very successful, with up to 16 rotations per day in peak season, using the Rapides.

[5] Particularly common were loads of spare parts for the shipping and aviation industries worldwide, perishable foods from Europe and newspaper deliveries to Ireland.

Results had not been particularly good, and in August 1948 a similar scheme was organised, this time using 13 aircraft from several charter airlines, including LAC who provided two Halifax transports with more success, partly due to better weather, and better facilities such as improved approach radar and more air traffic controllers at the destinations, Blackpool and Liverpool's Speke Airport.

[12] LAC and Samlesbury Engineering started converting Halifax and Halton transports into tankers at Squires Gate, Yeadon and Bovingdon, installing fuel tanks in the fuselage or bomb bay.

In 1949 it appeared in the British film Stop Press Girl and operated a regular nightly newspaper run between Manchester and Belfast in 1950.

[16] In the same year it took part in the Daily Express International Air Race from Bournemouth Hurn Airport to Herne Bay pier.

[25] During 1951-52 LAC replaced their heavy-lift, long range Halifaxes and Haltons with Avro Yorks, all from BOAC, acquiring their entire fleet of around 25 examples.

[29][10][B] Meanwhile, on 12 December 1956 Rylands sold Lancashire Aircraft Corporation to British Aviation Services (Britavia), the owners of Silver City Airways, but the sale did not include Skyways, the coach-air operation, or Samlesbury Engineering.

[34] After its intense activity, especially converting, maintaining and repairing Halifaxes during the Berlin Airlift the workload decreased, and its outposts away from its home base were closed or taken over by other organisations.

[39] With its specialist aviation and vehicle experience, in 1954 it built the turbojet-powered Bluebird K7 hydroplane for Donald Campbell's water speed record runs.

[39] In October 1958 Samlesbury Engineering formed a subsidiary named in memory of its parent's recently closed sibling, Lancashire Aircraft Company Ltd.

In addition to the rights to the design, the sale included two complete aircraft, seven unfinished airframes and the production jigs from Percival's factory at Stapleford Aerodrome in Essex.

[D] Only five airframes were completed, plus a single example of a Mk.2 version with a 410 hp (310 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah X radial engine, which first flew in August 1960.

In 1963 Lancashire Aircraft Company moved to Ryland's airport at Lympne,[50][E] where it ran a small maintenance and repair operation specialising in the Prospectors but it had closed down completely by 1964.