West African Airways Corporation

This article is about West African Airways Corporation (WAAC). For West African Airways Corporation (Nigeria), the successor of WAAC, see WAAC (Nigeria).

West African Airways Corporation
IATA ICAO Call sign
WT[1] — —
Founded1946 (1946)
Commenced operationsOctober 1947 (1947-10)
Ceased operations30 September 1958 (1958-09-30)
Hubs
Focus cities
Parent companyGovernment of Nigeria (68%)
HeadquartersIkeja, Nigeria

West African Airways Corporation, or WAAC for short, was an airline that operated from 1946 to 1958, jointly owned by the governments of Britain's four west African colonies, namely The Gambia, the Gold Coast (now Ghana), Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.[2][3] The carrier was headquartered at the Airways House in Ikeja, Nigeria, and operated from its hub at Lagos Airport.[4]: 38  It was dissolved on 30 September 1958,[5] after all the shareholder countries but Nigeria set up their own national airlines following their independence. As the sole remaining major stockholder of the airline, the government of Nigeria continued to operate it as WAAC Nigeria,[6] which was eventually renamed Nigeria Airways and became the flag carrier of the country.

  1. ^ "WEST AFRICAN AIRWAYS CORPORATION – TIME TABLES, FARES & RATES, INFORMATION (Effective 5 January 1958)". Airline Timetable Images. p. 5. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  2. ^ "COMMONWEALTH AIR SERVICES". Flight: 265. 27 August 1954. Retrieved 5 August 2011. An all-British fleet of ten Doves and five Bristol 170s is operated by West African Airways Corporation, which was formed by the governments of Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Sierre Leone and Gambia in 1946.
  3. ^ "CIVIL AVIATION... – AIRLINE FOR GHANA?". Flight: 288. 1 March 1957. Retrieved 3 August 2011. Until the formation of their own airline, the Gold Coast Government and the governments of Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Gambia will continue their participation in West African Airways.
  4. ^ Geoffrey Dorman (13 July 1951). "WEST AFRICAN WAYFARINGS". Flight: 38 –&#32, 40. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  5. ^ Nigeria Year Book 1962. Daily Times of Nigeria. 1962. p. 55.
  6. ^ "WORLD AIRLINE DIRECTORY – West African Airways Co. (Nigeria) Ltd". Flight: 557. 17 April 1959. Retrieved 5 August 2011. West African Airways Co. (Nigeria) Ltd.—WAAC, an associate of BOAC, was formed in 1958 to take over the Nigerian operations of West African Airways Corporation which had been founded in 1946 by the West African territories of Nigeria, Gold Coast (now Ghana), Sierra Leone and the Gambia.