Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CPA)

"Starting in 1942 by amalgamating ten small bush flying operations, Canadian Pacific Air Lines provided scheduled and charter service, and operated eight BCATP stations during the Second World War. In 45 years of flying and growth, the airline carried passengers and cargo throughout Canada and to destinations on five continents."

Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Limited was officially formed on May l6, 1942 as a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. Previously, in 1939 work began for the formation of Canadian Pacific Air Lines with purchase of privately-owned airline operations whose bush pilots had developed northern air routes serving isolated communities not linked by rail service. The federal government approved the purchase by CPR of ten small regional air services to amalgamate them and form Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CPA).

The ten companies that combined to become CPA were Ginger Coote Airways, Vancouver; Yukon Southern Air Transport, Vancouver and Edmonton; Canadian Airways, Winnipeg; Wings Ltd., Winnipeg; Prairie Airways, Moose Jaw; Mackenzie Air Services, Edmonton; Arrow Airways, The Pas, Manitoba; Starratt Airways, Hudson, Ontario; Quebec Airways and Dominion Skyways, both of Montreal.

On July 1, 1942, only six weeks after its formation, CPA began operations. For the next seven years the new company operated simply as a regional carrier in six provinces - British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. During the Second World War, Canadian Pacific ensured air service which was previously provided by regional carriers to communities in northern Canada. During the war, support was provided by CPA for wartime construction of the Alaska Highway, and in five provinces the airline operated seven Air Observer Schools, one Elementary Flying Training School and five Aircraft Repair Depots for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Grant McConachie became president of CPA in 1947, serving in that position until he died in 1965. He was the founder and president of Yukon Southern Air Transport and knew well the challenges of offering air service to Canada's northwest.

McConachie's innovations helped build the company as an airline with national and international routes, equipped with modern long-range jet airliners.

In 1949 CPAL moved its headquarters from Edmonton to Vancouver and openedf routes to the Orient and the South Pacific. The company operated an aerial survey division, and from 1951 to 1964 operated No. 10 Repair Depot (CPA Repairs Ltd.) in Calgary for maintenance on aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy. As well, scheduled air service was developed with routes in Canada to serve major Canadian cities. In the 1950s it operated charter flights for Canadian and American military personnel during the Korean War and began scheduled flights to South America, Mexico and Europe.

As service and routes expanded, CP Air acquired newer long-range aircraft and moved into the jet age with the purchase of four-engined Douglas DC-8 airliners in 1959. During airline deregulation in the 1980s, the airline absorbed Eastern Provincial Airways, Quebec Airways and Nordair to create a competitive alternative to the government-owned national carrier, Trans-Canada Airlines.

On May 4, 1959, CP Air inaugurated transcontinental service, using Bristol Britannia turboprop aircraft. The airline continued to move to newer aircraft, replacing the Britannias with Douglas DC-8s and then using DC-lOs, Boeing 737s and 747s. In 1979 CP Air Holidays was formed as a division to provide flights to vacation destinations. Domestic routes expanded and by 1980 CP Air was flying coast to coast in Canada. New hangars, administrative offices, and a flight simulator building were built in Vancouver, and an operations centre was built in Toronto.

A no-frills "Sky Bus" non-stop service from 1979 to 1982 served Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. By the 1980s, the airline was serving Canada and flying internationally to five continents. Cities on the CP Air schedules included Amsterdam, Milan, Rome and Lisbon. Tokyo and Hong Kong were on the routes, as were Honolulu, Sydney and Auckland. Destinations in South America were Lima, Santiago and Buenos Aires. In the United States, 15 cities were served in the eastern states.

After 45 years of serving the military, carrying Canadian travelers across their country and flying them around the world, Canadian Pacific Airlines was sold in 1987 to Pacific Western Airlines and became part of Canadian Airlines International.

Canadian Pacific Air Lines was recognized with a Belt of Orion Award for Excellence from Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at ceremonies held  at Ottawa in 2013.

Seventeen individuals who in some way were associated with the airline have been inducted as Members of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, including "Punch Dickins", "Wop" May and Grant McConachie, inducted in 1974 among the first Members.