surrender unused licences to the CAA. By the time the CAA awarded Laker these licences, the airline was experiencing financial difficulties and had to dispose of three A300 widebodies to cut costs by reducing the number of aircraft types as well as its overall size. Laker Airways intended to commence operations on both routes during the spring of 1982, operating two flights a day each way using spare capacity on its remaining BAC One-Elevens. The airline ceased to exist before the inaugural date. Laker introduced a short-lived scheduled service between Manchester and Zürich during 1981, which it operated at one flight per day in each direction using a newly delivered A300 widebody. This route, the airline's only short-haul scheduled operation, had come about after British Airways's decision to abandon its loss-making Manchester–Zürich services. Laker's application to have BA's licence transferred to itself resulted in its becoming the UK flag carrier between Manchester and Zürich. The airline's subsequent withdrawal and its demise in turn resulted in Dan-Air becoming the UK flag carrier between Manchester and Zürich. BCal began offering Miniprix fares on off-peak services on Gatwick–Amsterdam after it had obtained approval from the UK authorities and their Dutch counterparts. Additional Skytrain routes to the United States Laker Airways sought to strengthen its position as a transatlantic airline by applying to the CAA and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for licences to serve additional US cities under the Bermuda II UK-US accord. Both the CAA and the CAB approved the application to commence daily Skytrain services from Gatwick, Manchester and Prestwick to Chicago, Detroit, Oakland, Seattle and Washington DC. The company did not have aircraft to use these licences immediately. Its deteriorating financial position did not let it add more aircraft. By the time Laker Airways went out of business, those licences remained unused. They were eventually allocated to other airlines. Bankruptcy Laker Airways did not have the financial strength to survive the early 1980s recession and competition by the established scheduled airlines. Swiss aviation enthusiasts' magazine Interavia had reported in a 1978 issue that Laker's issued share capital was £10,000. As per the airline's 1980 balance sheet, the paid-up share capital was £504,000. These figures compared unfavourably with BCal and British Airways, whose issued share capital stood at £12 million and £100 million respectively. As long ago as June 1971, when Skytrain was first announced, it was revealed that Laker Airways