Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA)

"The individual roles played by the Company's maintenance personnel and pilots during its formative year, provided an increased safety factor for its passengers, resulting in outstanding benefit to Canadian aviation."

Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) was created on April 10, 1937, by a special Act of Parliament as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway Company (CNR), to provide air transportation, freight and mail service to all regions of the country.

From that start, with three small aircraft and fewer than 100 employees, TCA went on to become one of the largest air carriers in the world and a major force within the Canadian economy.

Within a few short years, TCA began to develop a reputation for technical and mechanical excellence. This fact was recognized in 1938 when TCA was awarded the Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy for the exemplary service provided by the line through the outstanding application of the talents of its engineers and pilots.

Passenger service between Vancouver and Montreal began on April 1, 1939. Two years later, TCA operated the Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS), providing scheduled flights across the Atlantic Ocean, primarily to assist government services during World War II.

The airline grew from a Canadian carrier to an International airline serving the United States, the Caribbean and Europe.

Polar flights to Europe from western Canada were introduced and the airline also became the first in North America to have a direct service to Moscow, Russia. Other major routes were opened from Canada to Miami and Los Angeles, and to Brussels, Zurich, Copenhagen, Vienna, and Frankfurt.

Throughout this era of dramatic change and growth from piston power to jet power, maintenance continued to play a dominant role. In 1960, a multi-million dollar maintenance base was opened at Dorval, Quebec. In view of the increasingly large role played by TCA in the arena of international competition, the name of the airline was changed to Air Canada in 1965.