World Wide Airways
Operator Identification
1945 to August 1966
Canada
TYPE: Airline
IATA/ICAO CODES: -- / ---
HEADQUARTERS: Montreal Dorval, QC
OTHER NAMES: Montreal Air Services (subsidiary)
SUBSEQUENT NAME: Nil
Operator History
World Wide Airways was founded in 1945 by Donald McVicar, a former RAF pilot. From its Montreal base, the company played a key role from the early 1950's in the massive airlift operations that took place for the construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line across northern and central Canada, and for mining conglomerate Hollinger.
The company's first service was provided by a former RCAF Lancaster bomber, acquired in 1952 and outfitted to transport fuel. The tanker crashed while landing at the construction site at Menihek on 28 June 1953. To replace it and in order to fulfill new building support obligations, the carrier next acquired three Commandos in 1955, followed by four more plus four Douglas DC3s in 1956. Among these, one of each type was registered to newly acquired subsidiary Montreal Air Services.
Two Commandos were lost in landing accidents, and one was involved in a repairable incident on 25 March 1956. The second C-46D was lost at DEW Line Site 28 on 23 September 1956, although there were again no fatalities. A DC3 was also involved in a landing accident on 5 May 1957, but could be repaired. It was replaced by another DC3 later in the year. Following their withdrawal from Trans Canada Airlines service, two Canadair C-4 North Stars were purchased by World Wide in 1961, along with a former RCAF Douglas C-54. Both North Stars did not remain long with the company, and the C-54 was lost to a landing accident in Montreal.
From 1962 to 1965, all Commandos and DC3s were sold as World Wide elected to concentrate on long-haul charters with four L-1049s Super Constellations. Traffic from the charter business proved insufficient and in the face of safety concerns, the carrier ceased operations in August 1966 after its license was revoked. McVicar claimed its Air Operator Certificate had been revoked because the company had been flying flying livestock and foodstuffs to embargoed Cuba, and entered in a fight with the Canadian government which led him to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1966.
Commando Operations
1955* to November 1962*
Last edited: 18/12/2023