Canadian Pacific Air Lines
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| Founded | 1942 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1987 (merged with Nordair and Pacific Western Airlines to form Canadian Airlines) |
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| Hubs | Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal | ||||||
| Fleet size | 68 | ||||||
| Destinations | 38 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, British Columbia | ||||||
| Key people |
Grant McConachie GM 1941-47, President 1947-65 Donald J. Carty CEO 1985-1987 |
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Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served Canadian and international routes until it was purchased by Pacific Western Airlines and absorbed into Canadian Airlines which branded itself as Canadian Airlines International.
In the early 1940s, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company purchased ten bush airlines in a short time span, finishing with the purchase of Canadian Airways in 1942, to form Canadian Pacific Air Lines. Early management were largely bush flying pioneers, including president Grant McConachie, superintendent Punch Dickins, and Wop May, who would become a repair depot manager in Calgary.
In 1968, Canadian Pacific Air Lines was rebranded as CP Air. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company (renamed Canadian Pacific Limited in 1971) had decided to align the airline's name and "Multimark" design to that of its other subsidiaries, including CP Hotels, CP Ships, and CP Transport (CP Rail was spun off from the parent company later).
CP Air battled with the government-owned (and government-financed) Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA, later Air Canada) for international and transcontinental routes for much of its history. Despite early attempts to merge into one national carrier, CP Air continued to operate routes based on its previous bush flying heritage.
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