From its humble beginnings in the 1950s to trans-Atlantic charter flights starting in 1962 – and years of success after that – Wardair was one of the most well-loved and well-respected airlines in the history of Canada’s aviation industry.
And when this story ran – just over a decade after Wardair started those trans-Atlantic charter flights, and certainly in Travelweek’s very earliest days – the carrier had just announced an annual profit of $913,781.
The headline for this edition of ‘It Happened This Week’ is: ‘Wardair profit tops $900,000’
The story appeared back when Travelweek was still known as CTM Weekly Bulletin. Wardair had reported a consolidated net profit of $913,781 for the previous year. Gross operating revenues were up, to $19.6 million.
Wardair’s $913,781 profit came in the same year the airline acquired its first of five Boeing 747s.
Wardair is legendary in the travel industry, and for good reason. Wardair’s top-notch service and attention to detail made flying a true pleasure, and the airline gained legions of loyal passengers. Major expansion and more international growth in the 1980s brought fierce competition from Canada’s two dominant carriers – Air Canada and Canadian Airlines. The decade ended with the 1989 sale of Wardair to PWA Corp., which owned Canadian Airlines, and ultimately the airline was absorbed into Canadian Airlines.
Wardair founder Max Ward, lauded as a true pioneer in Canada’s aviation sector, passed away in November 2020 at the age of 98.
Did the Wardair headline appear in Travelweek in 1974, 1982 or 1986?
Fill out the contest form below, with your guess and your email address. We’ll announce the answer and the winner next week, along with the next contest headline. Last week’s headline about the proposed merger between United and US Airways ran in June 2000. Our winner for Week #14 is Maria Maestri from Away by TTI Travel in Toronto. Congratulations Maria!
Every Wednesday in Travelweek Daily, we’re posting an article from Travelweek’s archives, spanning the years 1973 – 2023. Guess the correct year the story ran, and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card. There’s a new headline and a new chance to win every single week.
