Quebecair
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| Commenced operations | 1947 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1986 | ||||||
| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Destinations | See Cities served below | ||||||
| Headquarters | Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada | ||||||
Quebecair (IATA: QBA, ICAO: QB, Call sign: Quebecair) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1947 until 1986. Quebecair was headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, now a part of Montreal.
Quebecair began as Rimouski Airlines in 1947 and flew under that name until it merged with Gulf Aviation in 1953 under the name Quebec-Air. The aircraft in operation at the time were the Beech 18, the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and the Douglas DC-3. Operations were mainly based in Quebec and Montreal was added in 1957. Eventually the latter city became the operating base for Quebecair.
In 1958 a fire in a hangar destroyed three DC-3s and Fairchild F-27 turboprop aircraft were then purchased to replace the destroyed aircraft. The F-27 propjets proved to be very successful. As operations increased, the company introduced a new, larger aircraft in the form of the Convair CV-540 turboprop, which were put on the main route between Montreal and Quebec. In later years, Quebecair also operated the Convair 580 turboprop.
During the 1960s, the company took over various other airlines, namely Matane Air Service and Northern Wings in 1965, Fecteau Air Service in 1968, and Royale Air in 1969. The increase in operations brought the introduction of the first jet aircraft, the British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven, which were put into use on the Montreal - Toronto route in 1969.
The company took over Air Gaspé in 1973 and acquired more northern routes. In 1974 it bought two Boeing 707s for charter work and also Boeing 727-100 aircraft. It conducted charter flights to destinations in Florida, the Caribbean, Europe and Hawaii. Charter flights were discontinued in 1979 and the 707s were sold off. According to the February 1976 and November 1979 Official Airline Guides (OAG), Quebecair operated the Boeing 727-100 jetliner in scheduled passenger operations between Montreal, Quebec City and other destinations in Quebec and Newfoundland provinces.
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