EASTERN PROVINCIALAIRWAYS, LTD. (EPA): Canada (19491986). The Torbay, St. John’s charter carrier Newfoundland Aero Sales & Services, Ltd. is purchased by Chester Crosbie in January 1949 and reorganized as Eastern Provincial Airways, Ltd. (EPA). A fleet is assembled comprising 1 Piper Cub, INoorduyn Norseman Mk. V, 2 Cessna Cranes, and 1 Stinson 108-3. Air ambulance, forest fire patrol, survey, airmail, and passenger-cargo charter services commence in 1950.
Business grows during 1951-1952 to include work throughout Newfoundland. Equipment additions in those years include an Avro Anson, two Norseman Vs, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (the second production model), and a Consolidated PBY-5ACanso, acquired to fight forest fires.
In 1953 the head office is moved to Gander. The Cessna Cranes, Stinson 108-3s, the Anson and a Norseman are withdrawn and replaced by a Cessna 180, a Bell Model 47 helicopter, and a DHC-3 Otter.
Services continue without change in 1954.
During 1955-1956, contracts are also honored for flights over the Pine Tree Line, the DEW Line, and the Mid-Canada Line. During those years, one Bell 47 is replaced by another, the Piper Cub, Cessna 180, and three Norseman Vs are sold, and four Cansos, five Beavers, and two Lockheed Model 10A Electras are acquired (the latter being retired within a year).
Having lost both engines inland of Goose Bay, Labrador, on October 1, 1957, a Canso crashes in wooded countryside. The crew is rescued and the aircraft is written off and abandoned until removed by a Canadian Forces helicopter in 1987.
In 1958, EPA enters into a contract with Gronlandsfly A. S./Green-landair and the Danish government for the provision of PBY-5A ice patrol and survey flights in and around Greenland.
Throughout 1959-1960 , the fleet is expanded. Added are six Otters, a Canso, and two Sikorsky S-55 helicopters. In the latter year, the Gron-landsfly A. S./Greenlandair contract is upgraded to include passenger service. The Cansos connect Sondrestrom and Godthaab, leaving the DHC-3s to link smaller communities.
A Douglas DC-3 is acquired in early 1961 and scheduled services are inaugurated, from St. John’s to Gander, Deer Lake, Twin Falls, and Wabush. Two Cessna 180s, two Piper Cubs, and a Canso join the fleet.
The DC-3 with 2 crew and 25 passengers fails its takeoff from St. Pierre on April 4; although the aircraft must be written off, there are no fatalities.
On August 29, a DHC-3 crashes north of Sonderstrom (one dead).
In April 1962, two Curtiss C-46A Commandos leased from Nordair, Ltd. are placed in service while a Handley Page Dart Herald 200 is purchased from the same carrier in November. These aircraft greatly improve passenger and all-cargo services.
Meanwhile, on May 12, a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina crashes while landing at Godthab, Greenland (15 dead).
Three additional Dart Herald 200s are acquired in March and May 1963. The Heralds are employed to link Gander with Charlo, Saint John, Moncton, and Goose Bay.
In August, the four Cessna 185s are sold to Gander Aviation, Ltd. Two more CV-46As arrive in September and a DC-3 is sold to Reindeer Air, Ltd.
Also in September, larger Maritime Central Airlines, Ltd. is purchased and merged; the amalgamated carrier is renamed Eastern Provincial Airlines, Ltd. The MCA routes to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, the Magdalen Islands, and St. Pierre are maintained with the merger partners’ Vickers Viscount 700, Douglas DC-4, C-46s, PBY-5A Cansos, and DC-3s. A C-46A is sold to Nordair, Ltd. in December.
A second Curtiss C-46A is sold to Nordair, Ltd. in January 1964.
The workforce stands at 394 and the fleet numbers 29 aircraft. That number is lowered to 28 following the August sale of a DC-3.
Administrative and operational changes continue from the previous year’s purchase of Maritime Central Airlines, Ltd.
A DC-3A with two crew crashes near Lourdes du Blanc Sablon, Quebec, on November 21; there are no fatalities.
Enplanements for the year are 98,000 and revenues of C$5.4 million are earned.
Airline employment is increased to 430 in 1965.
En route to Sydney from Halifax, Flight 102, a Dart Herald with three crew and five passengers, is lost in a March 17 accident near Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia; there are no survivors.
Less than a month later, on April 3, a DC-3 is written off at Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon; there are no fatalities.
Also in April and May, the last two C-46As are sold.
The Danish contract is concluded; passenger boardings on the Greenland internal runs since 1960 have averaged 13,000 per year. A total of 86,039 passengers are flown 22.4 million revenue passenger miles during these 12 months.
The Canadian National Air Policy of 1966 classifies the carrier as the regional airline for Newfoundland and the Maritimes. Its fleet now comprises 5 DHC-2s, 6 PBY-5A Cansos, 1 DC-4, 4 DC-3s, 3 Heralds, 2 Piper PA-18s, 5 DHC-3s, and 3 Sikorsky S-55s. The Viscount is retired, but a Lockheed L-1040H Super Constellation is chartered for a year from Nordair, Ltd.
Another DC-4 is added in 1967 while airline employment stands at 517.
In January, a Sikorsky S-55 is written off following a crash at St. Georges; the second machine is sold to Universal Helicopters, Ltd. in March.
In April, five PBY-5As are transferred to the Newfoundland provincial government, to be followed by a sixth in July. A purchased DHC-6-100 Twin Otter joins the fleet, also in July. Bookings soar to 111,000 and revenues of C$8.4 million are realized.
Montreal is added to the route network in 1968 and orders are placed for two Boeing 737-2E1s.
Formerly known as the St. Albert, St. Jarlath, and St. Senan, three former Aer Lingus Irish Airlines, Ltd. Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvairs are purchased on January 10 for C$500,000. After repainting and some modifications, all three are delivered in February. Meanwhile, a Lockheed L-1049H is leased from Nordair, Ltd. in March for a year and employed to fly charters and to inaugurate a route from Charlottetown to Montreal via Charlo. Two more Carvairs arrive in May.
Charter services decline as emphasis is now placed on scheduled operations; many of the smaller aircraft are sold and traffic generated by them declines.
The former Irish ATL-98 Carvair St. Albert with 5 crew and 33 passengers is destroyed as the result of a bad landing at Churchill Falls on September 28; there are no fatalities. The hulk is sold to British Air Ferries, Ltd. for spare parts.
A B-737-2E1 is leased from Nordair, Ltd., in April 1969 to fill the gap until the carrier’s Boeing jetliners are delivered.
A second “Baby Boeing” is leased from United Air Lines and jointly flown with Nordair, Ltd. Upon their arrival in November and December, the purchased short-haulers are christened Halifax and St. John, respectively.
Also in November, a second DHC-6-100 is received and joins the first in operations on behalf of the Newfoundland government. The Nordair and United Boeings are returned at year’s end while overall enplane-ments decline to 74,285.
A DHC-3 is badly damaged in a Goose Bay accident on May 22, 1970. When the machine is repaired, it will be sold to St. Austin Airways, Ltd.
The bush operations of the carrier are sold in June, along with the five remaining DHC-2s and six DHC-3s, to an employee group that reorganizes them into Labrador Airways, Ltd. A pair of DHC-2 Turbo Beavers are simultaneously transferred to the Labrador government.
A third B-737-2E1 is received in July and named Charlottetown.
EPA’s three Boeings largely account for a 69% jump in passenger boardings to 239,628; freight traffic falls by 1.9%.
In 1971, orders are placed for two additional B-737-2E1s. A DC-3 is turned over to a Gander trade school in October.
Enplanements soar to 324,220. The workforce in 1972 totals 525. The fleet now includes 3 B-737-2E1s, 4 DC-3s, 2 ATL-98s, 1 DHC-6, and 3 Dart Heralds.
The final DC-4 is withdrawn in May. Service is extended to St. John, New Brunswick.
Passenger boardings leap 14% to 377,000, cargo accelerates 16%, and revenues rise 14%.
Several routes dropped by Air Canada, Ltd. in 1973 are assumed, including one to Stephenville in Newfoundland. The number of destinations now served in the Atlantic Provinces is 18.
Two more B-737-2E1s, the Fredericton and Sydney, join the fleet in March and October, respectively.
Meanwhile, the last two ATL-98 Carvairs are sold to British Air Ferries, Ltd. in September.
Enplanements this year advance to 534,600, a huge 43% increase.
The workforce grows to 740 in 1974.
By contract, the carrier becomes part of the Air Canada computerized reservations system and the last DHC-6 is sold to Labrador Airways, Ltd. in January.
The B-737-2E1 Labrador is delivered in December.
Passenger boardings swell 10% to 594,000 and freight rises 6.2%.
A total of 49 new employees are hired in 1975.
Sold, the three remaining Heralds are delivered to their new British owner (BAF) between January and March.
A new service is inaugurated in April linking Halifax and Montreal via Moncton, Fredericton, or St. John.
Only three DC-3s remain from a once-large propeller fleet and these are employed, in association with Air St. Pierre, Ltd., to operate daily scheduled flights from Sydney to the French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Preparing to upgrade its inclusive-tour business, the carrier also takes delivery of a seventh B-737-2E1, an unnamed unit received in October.
Although cargo is up by 17.6%, passenger bookings dip 3.7% to
585,000.
Airline employment is reduced 2% in 1976 to 787.
During the winter, company Boeings fly inclusive-tour weekend charters to Caribbean destinations. In need of additional commuter capacity, the carrier orders several Hawker Siddeley HS 748s, the first of which is received in March and placed in service a month later to the French islands.
In May, the unnamed B-737-2E1 received the previous October is leased to Nordair, Ltd. Three DC-3s are withdrawn in June, September, and December, respectively.
Passenger boardings fall another 2% to 583,099 and freight is off by
7%.
Winter weekend charters are continued while, from June-December 1977 the B-737-2E1 Labrador is leased to Aloha Airlines in Hawaii.
Negotiations are undertaken with Air Canada, Ltd. concerning route rationalization in the Atlantic Provinces.
In December, EPA joins with the state carrier to offer joint routes and fares; Air Canada, Ltd. also agrees to service Eastern’s planes at Montreal.
Bookings soar to 714,868. Revenues total C$33.7 million, but a loss of C$763,000 is reported.
The workforce is increased in 1978 to 857.
The last DC-3 is sold in April as the Labrador begins a yearlong lease to Aer Lingus Irish Airlines, Ltd. In the face of continuing losses in 1977, the B-737-2E1 leased out to Nordair, Ltd. is now sold to that carrier.
Two more HS 748s are acquired in May.
Cargo jumps 28% and passenger boardings climb 15.6% to 846,800. On revenues of C$40.4 million, a C$2.6-million profit is earned.
The Labrador is returned to the fleet in April 1979, but bookings still fall to 840,000; freight is up a slight 1%.
Having won a direct Halifax-Toronto route in June, EPA’s Boeings begin daily service between those two cities on July 7, 1980. The frequency is increased to twice-daily in September. The direct Halifax-Montreal service is allowed to continue for six months.
In November, the carrier becomes a subsidiary of the newly created, Gander-based Newfoundland Capital Corporation, Ltd.
Cargo declines 16%, but bookings advance 5% to 878,000. A C$1-million profit is reported.
A fourth HS 748 is leased from Dan-Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd. for six months, before it is purchased in July 1981.
While taxiing after landing at Sydney on December 29, the nosegear and brakes of an HS 748-2A with 3 crew and 15 passengers, fail and the plane collides with the terminal building. There are no fatalities, although the aircraft must be written off and considerable damage is done to the facility.
Another Dan-Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd. HS 748 is now purchased.
Enplanements for the year, in the face of world recession, drop to
862.000. Costs climb as fuel prices rise.
The employee population totals 900 in 1982.
Employing the HS 748s, the new subsidiary Air Maritime, Ltd. is formed in January to fly scheduled commuter services in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saint-Pierre, and Quebec City. The routes of the two carriers are now integrated via the Air Canada reservations system.
In February (and later in April), a new HS 748 joins the fleet.
A third Boeing Halifax-Toronto frequency is added in April, with a fourth laid on for Thursday-Saturday. To meet the capacity needs of the new timing, a new B-737-2T5 is simultaneously chartered while a B-737-275C is leased for a year from Pacific Western Airlines, Ltd.
The association with Air Canada, Ltd. ends in October, as EPA lines up with CP Air, Ltd., integrating operations at Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and Ottawa. The larger carrier takes on the regional’s reservation and overhaul requirements.
Freight is up 4% to 6.86 million FTKs, but overall enplanements fall 8% to 788,000.
The workforce is reduced in 1983 to 821.
The PWA B-737-275C is returned in April.
Interchange flights with CP Air, Ltd. begin on June 12; EPA Boeings (with small CP Air logos) maintain the Halifax-Montreal and Toronto segments of the arrangement.
Labor problems from January 7 to early June insure that sharp traffic declines continue. Passenger boardings drop 29% to 556,900 while cargo falls by an equal percentage. Revenues decline 19% to C $59.1 million, but a slight C$128,000 profit is taken.
The employee population grows 7.2% in 1984 to 880.
Owner Harry Steele early in the year announces that company headquarters will be transferred to Halifax. Another HS 748 is acquired in September.
As purchase negotiations open with CP Air, Ltd., the carrier experiences a major turnaround. Passenger bookings soar 37% to 761,000 and freight gains by 23% to 6.6 million FTKs.
On April 17, 1985, newly renamed Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. (CPAL) , the nation’s second largest carrier, purchases EPA, the fourth largest, and its Air Maritime, Ltd. subsidiary for C$15.6 million, allowing it to maintain its separate identity during the amalgamation period. Steele remains as CEO during the transition and the workforce stands at 850. Services are restructured at the new Halifax hub and a new livery is adopted. Halifax-Ottawa flights commence in June with a Montreal stop added in October. Passenger boardings jump 25% to
951.000, but freight falls a huge 54.2% to 3.02 million FTKs.
On January 1, 1986, EPA ceases to exist as a separate airline when the carrier is fully absorbed into CPAL.
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