 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | March 29, 1948 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | March 27, 2014 | ||||||
| Parent company | Global Aviation Holdings | ||||||
| Headquarters | Peachtree City, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||
| Key people | John Graber (CEO) | ||||||
World Airways, Inc. was an American airline headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia in Greater Atlanta. [1] [2] The company operated mostly non-scheduled services but did fly scheduled passenger services as well, notably with McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jetliners. [3] World Airways ceased all operations on March 27, 2014.
World Airways was founded on March 29, 1948 by Benjamin Pepper with the introduction of ex-Pan Am Boeing 314 flying boats. Edward Daly, however, is thought of as World's founder. He bought the airline in 1950 for $50,000 and proceeded to acquire DC-4s.
World Airways started as a supplemental air carrier, the term used by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to denote charter carriers. The CAB was the US government agency that tightly regulated the US airline industry until 1978. In fact, prior to 1955, the CAB referred to such carriers, including World Airways, as "irregular air carriers". Under either name, World was barred by the CAB from offering scheduled service. After US airline deregulation in 1979, World gained the right to fly scheduled flights, and did so for a time, as detailed below.
World got its first government contract in 1951 and had a substantial amount of government business throughout the rest of its operational history.
Later, World acquired DC-6s and Lockheed Constellations. World entered the jet era in the late 1960s with Boeing 707s and 727s. In the early 1970s, World acquired Douglas DC-8s.
World became a key military contractor during the Vietnam War, flying troops and equipment between the war zone and World's base at Oakland International Airport. On March 29, 1975, World operated the last airlift flight out of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam. Two 727s were flown to Đà Nẵng, one of which had Ed Daly aboard. Thousands rushed the airplane and it took off on a taxiway under heavy fire. The aircraft with Daly aboard started its takeoff roll with the 727's back airstairs still down with Daly fending off additional people trying to leave due to over capacity (The film of this was later broadcast on the CBS Evening News on March 30, 1975). [4] When the airplane landed at Saigon, there were 268 people in the cabin and possibly 60 or more in the cargo holds. World did not return to Đà Nẵng until April 17, 2002, then with an MD-11 aircraft to pick up a team of people resolving Missing-In-Action cases from the Vietnam War.
In the early 1970s through the early 1980s, World operated three Boeing 747 aircraft and was the launch customer for the "flip nose" front-loading variant of the 747. Later, World acquired DC-10s that were eventually retired in 2010.
In 1986 slots for lucrative routes on the east coast became available, and with the competitive nature for these routes, they were offered to interested airlines in the form of a lottery, or what was called the “Slottery”. World was awarded three city pairs: Boston, Washington National, and New York LaGuardia. In order to acquire these slots, the routes had to be operated for at least three months. World's intention was to sell the routes for a profit to another airline rather than establishing their own operation on these routes, so the company operated fully crewed Boeing 727s (flight deck and cabin crew) without passengers, flying between the scheduled city pairs with touch and go landings and takeoffs. As planned, the routes were then sold for profit. World experienced heavy losses in the 1980s as a result of operating scheduled passenger services, ending scheduled service September 15, 1986. In 1987, the company moved its headquarters from Oakland to Washington Dulles International Airport, acquired Key Airlines from Bain Capital's Presidential Airways, [5] and established ties to Malaysia Airlines. World was burdened financially as its cash was siphoned off by parent WorldCorp to support a telecommunications venture in which the parent had invested. During the first Persian Gulf War, World did a substantial amount of profitable business for the military, enabling the addition of the MD-11 to the fleet. During the mid-1990s, World operated the military passenger trunk route from Osan Air Base, Korea and Kadena Air Base, Okinawa to Los Angeles, using MD-11 aircraft. World has been headquartered near Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.
The airline received a substantial amount of its business from the military, especially in its role connecting American bases in the U.S. to the Middle East. It also thrived on passenger and freight contracts with private organizations, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League, [6] as well as wet leases to other airlines. With such wet lease arrangements, World Airways essentially functioned as a cargo airline arm of another airline for whom a separate division would not be an efficient use of resources.
In 2006, World Airways became a subsidiary of World Air Holdings, Inc. On April 5, 2007, World Airways returned to its Oakland and Bay Area roots where they were headquartered from 1956 to 1987. [7] It was later acquired by ATA Holdings, [8] which was renamed Global Aero Logistics, in a transaction valued at $315 million. [9] With this, ATA's president, Subodh Karnik became the head of all three certificated airlines autonomous operations, ATA Airlines, North American Airlines, and World Airways. In 2007 GAL moved its operation to the World Airways building in Peachtree City, Georgia. Robert Binns was named chief executive officer of GAL in April 2008 and Charlie McDonald was named president. Larry Montford became COO of World Airways.
On March 27, 2014, World Airways announced the immediate cessation of all operations. [1] At the time of its closure, World's fleet consisted of MD-11 trijet aircraft both in freighter and passenger configurations and of 747-400 freighters.
On November 8, 2017, investment firm 777 Partners, announced it had acquired the intellectual property of World Airways, Inc. and planned to relaunch the airline as a low cost international carrier with a fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The new airline was to be based at Miami International Airport with MIA and Los Angeles International Airport as initial operating hubs. [10]
World Airways operated scheduled international and domestic passenger service with its McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jetliners, the Boeing 747-200, as well as Boeing 727 jets. Scheduled service began in the late 1970s with airline deregulation, starting April 11, 1979, ending September 15, 1986. Crew bases included Wrightstown, NJ (WRI-closed), Oakland, CA (OAK-company headquarters), Los Angeles, CA (LAX), Baltimore, MD (BWI), and later San Francisco, CA (SFO). The company theme song in the early 1980s, featured at the beginning of the onboard aircraft safety videos and used for advertising, had an instrumental version that played on an easy listening radio station in the San Francisco Bay Area until new advertising was introduced in 1985. The Airline revisited scheduled service in 1996 with the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, but this was short lived. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Destinations served included:
As of March 2014, the World Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft, with an average fleet age of 19.8 years: [16]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | Total | ||||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 3 | — | 355 | 355 | |
| World Airways Cargo fleet | |||||
| Boeing 747-400BDSF | 2 | — | Cargo | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11F | 4 | — | Cargo | ||
| Total | 9 | ||||
World Airways also previously operated the following aircraft types during its existence: [17] [18]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 314A | 5 | 1948 | 1950 | |
| Boeing 707-320 | 4 | 1972 | 1975 | Leased from Pan Am |
| Boeing 707-320C | 9 | 1963 | 1979 | |
| Boeing 727-100 | 4 | 1985 | 1986 | Leased from Skybus |
| Boeing 727-100C | 8 | 1969 | 1979 | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 3 | 1986 | 1987 | Leased from Skybus |
| Boeing 747-100SF | 1 | 1981 | 1982 | Transferred to Avianca |
| Boeing 747-200C | 3 | 1973 | 1987 | |
| Convair CV-440 | 1 | 1971 | 1985 | |
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 2 | 1949 | 1955 | |
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 10 | 1953 | 1961 | |
| Douglas DC-6A | 11 | 1960 | 1968 | |
| Douglas DC-6B | 4 | 1960 | 1972 | |
| Douglas DC-8-61 | 1 | 1975 | 1976 | Leased from Capitol Air |
| Douglas DC-8-63CF | 7 | 1971 | 1984 | |
| Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation | 7 | 1960 | 1964 | |
| Lockheed L-1649A Starliner | 4 | 1962 | 1964 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | 11 | 1984 | 1994 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10F | 1 | 1993 | 1994 | Transferred to FedEx Express |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 20 | 1983 | 2010 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF | 13 | 1978 | 1995 | Written off as Flight 30 |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ER | 1 | 2008 | 2009 | Written off as Flight 8535 |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F | 4 | 2001 | 2012 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11ER | 2 | 2001 | 2012 | |
World Airways's corporate headquarters were in Peachtree City, Georgia in Greater Atlanta.
In 1956, World Airways located its headquarters from the east coast to the grounds of Oakland International Airport (OAK) in Oakland, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. World Airways built the World Air Center at Oakland, which served as the company headquarters and maintenance facilities from 1973 through 1986. The World Air Center hangar was able to accommodate four 747s and provided maintenance services to other carriers, as well as the U.S. military. [19] In 1987, headquarters moved to unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, near Herndon, in Greater Washington DC. [20] In 2001 World Airways relocated to Peachtree City from Fairfax County. [6]
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is an international airport in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, located 9 miles (14 km) south of downtown Baltimore and 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Washington, D.C.
Air Jamaica was the national airline of Jamaica. It was owned and operated by Caribbean Airlines from May 2011 until the cessation of operations in 2015. Caribbean Airlines Limited, headquartered in Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago, had administrative offices for Air Jamaica located at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica.
Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered at Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. The company operates international scheduled and cargo charter services. Its call sign "Connie" is from its founder, Connie Kalitta.
Eugene Airport, also known as Mahlon Sweet Field, is a public airport 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Eugene, in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Owned and operated by the City of Eugene, it is the fifth-largest airport in the Pacific Northwest.
Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community. The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond International Airport is the busiest airport in central Virginia and the third-busiest in the state behind Washington Reagan and Washington Dulles. RIC covers 2,500 acres of land.
Owen Roberts International Airport is an airport serving Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It is the main international airport for the Cayman Islands as well as the main base for Cayman Airways. The airport is named after British Royal Air Force (RAF) Wing Commander Owen Roberts, a pioneer of commercial aviation in the country, and is one of the two entrance ports to the Cayman Islands.
St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport is a public/military airport in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay Area. It is right on the northeast municipal boundary of Pinellas Park, 9 miles (14 km) north of downtown St. Petersburg, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Clearwater, and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Tampa.
Arrow Air was a passenger and cargo airline based in Building 712 on the grounds of Miami International Airport (MIA) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. At different times over the years, it operated over 90 weekly scheduled cargo flights, had a strong charter business and at one point operated scheduled international and domestic passenger flights. Its main base was Miami International Airport. Arrow Air ceased operations on June 29, 2010, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1, 2010. It was then liquidated.
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport is 7 miles west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States. The airfield covers 948 acres (384 ha) of land and has three runways.
Capitol Air was a United States supplemental air carrier and, after 1978, a scheduled passenger air carrier based which was operational from 1946 to its bankruptcy filing on November 23, 1984. It was founded as Capitol Airways in 1946, and then renamed Capitol International Airways in 1967. In 1981, the airline changed its name to Capitol Air and was operating scheduled domestic and international passenger flights that year.
Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Trans International Airlines (TIA) started as a United States supplemental air carrier, at the time the regulatory term for a charter airline. After US airline deregulation in 1979, it also operated scheduled passenger service flying as Transamerica Airlines as well as charter flights during its last decade. Its headquarters were at Oakland International Airport (OAK) in Oakland, California.
Combi aircraft in commercial aviation are aircraft that can be used to carry either passengers as an airliner, or cargo as a freighter, and may have a partition in the aircraft cabin to allow both uses at the same time in a mixed passenger/freight combination. The name combi comes from the word combination. The concept originated in railroading with the combine car, a passenger car that contains a separate compartment for mail or baggage.
Juneau International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska that has no direct road access to the outside world. The airport serves as a regional hub for all air travel, from bush carriers to major U.S. air carriers such as Alaska Airlines.
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport is 5 miles east of downtown Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas.
Cheddi Jagan International Airport, formerly Timehri International Airport, is the primary international airport of Guyana. The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown. It is the larger of the two international airports serving Georgetown with the other airport being the Eugene F. Correia International Airport.
A government contract flight is a type of charter airline operation contracted with a government agency.
JAGS McCartney International Airport, also known as Grand Turk International Airport, is an airport located 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is the second largest airport in the territory, after Providenciales International Airport.
Piedmont Airlines was a local service carrier, a scheduled carrier in the United States that operated from 1948 until it merged with USAir in 1989. Its headquarters were at One Piedmont Plaza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a building that is now part of Wake Forest University.
Key Airlines was founded as Thunderbird Airlines in 1964 and then changed its name in 1969. The airline took over Sun Valley Airlines in 1972 and became known as Sun Valley Key Airlines for several years until reverting to the Key Airlines name. The airline began as a commuter and charter air carrier in the western United States flying turboprop and prop aircraft. In later years, Key Airlines operated a hub in Savannah, Georgia with scheduled passenger flights operated with mainline jet aircraft to international and domestic destinations.
