Vintage Air Anglia 1970s bus found by Norwich man in Japan

David Finlay, 56, enjoyed a trip down memory lane after tracking down his dad's old bus while on holiday last week.

"It was so cool to see it again," he said. "It was really emotional.

"I've always been very proud of the work my dad did with the airline."

David Finlay presenting the team in Japan with the original body plate that his dad had removed when selling the bus in 1984 (Image: David Finlay)

David's dad, Mike Finlay, was the passenger marketing manager at Air Anglia, based at Norwich Airport, which became Air UK and KLM UK.

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In the 70s, transport fan and RAF veteran Mike persuaded his bosses to purchase a double-decker bus to be used as part of the company's advertising campaign.

David continued: "The downstairs was transformed into a shop which our mum (Sheila) ran sometimes and sold merchandise, like t-shirts and badges.

The body plate was returned to its rightful place on the bus last week (Image: David Finlay)

"The upstairs was turned into a cafe/bar area.

"The bus became a real hub - people would hang around and have a few drinks at the country shows, like Norfolk or Yorkshire, and air shows - and Dad even took it to Holland once!

"My brother Simon and I would go to so many of them."

David got to sit on the bus for the first time in 40 years while on holiday in Japan last week (Image: David Finlay)

When the bus started to go wrong in 1984, it was sold to a dealer in Yorkshire who went on to sell the double-decker to a company in Japan.

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After a bit of research before embarking on a "trip of a lifetime" to Japan with his wife, David discovered that his dad's old bus was being used by a heritage steam railway in Shizuoka, a town between Tokyo and Kyoto, for ferrying school children around the site.

Last week, David got to sit on the bus again for the first time in 40 years.

David Finlay's dad, Mike, bought the bus for Air Anglia in 1977 (Image: David Finlay)

He added: "Dad had kept the old body plate when the bus was sold, so I took it with me and gave it to the team in Japan to reinstate. The holes were still in the wall where it had been removed.

"They've just completed a full restoration of it so it will probably last for another 40 years.

"My dad passed away a few years ago, and it feels daft to get emotional about a bit of metal but it was a very cool experience."