World Airways to Make a Comeback as a Low-Cost Carrier with 787s
Long-time AvGeeks, rejoice. World Airways, which was founded in the 1940s and ceased operations in 2014, was acquired on Wednesday by investment firm 777 Partners. In effect, you could see the famed World Airways livery on a tarmac near you in the future.
On Wednesday, the firm announced that it had acquired the intellectual properties of World Airways, Inc. As of now, we already know that it plans to relaunch World Airways as a long-haul, low-cost carrier, flying the most modern aircraft in the sky — none other than the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
According to a press release, discussions with Boeing are already underway for an initial order of up to 10 787 Dreamliner aircraft. At this time, there's no timeline on when World Airways will launch its operations or what kind of services it will offer passengers.
"Today, we are proud to begin preparations to launch scheduled operations from the US to Asia and Latin America," said Founding CEO of World Ed Wegel. "We will be partnering with low cost, short haul carriers in the US and in the regions we serve to provide connecting traffic to and from our initial planned gateways."
According to World Airways' website, it will have hubs in both Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA), the latter of which is where 777 Partners is based and where World Airways will also be based. Historically, World Airways was run out of Peachtree, Georgia.
World Airways, in the meantime, is in the process of relaunching its brand. On Twitter, the carrier has just one tweet...
... and its website advertises it simply as the "first U.S. long haul, low cost carrier."
Based on Wegel's comments, World has plans to initially launch with service to Asia and Latin America. In the Latin America market, it seems World has a leg up on the competition — especially if it's low-cost. Considering that World could easily operate flights from Los Angeles to Asia and from Miami to Latin America, this makes sense.
At its peak, World Airways operated a fleet of Boeing 747s in the 1970s, an aircraft that it continued operating until closing its doors in 2014. In addition, the carrier also operated Boeing 707s, 727s, DC-8s and more. With the announcement that World will now operate one of the world's most modern aircraft in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, there's plenty to be excited about for both the carrier and passengers — and, of course, AvGeeks. And, adding one more low-cost option is a plus for budget travelers looking to get from the US to Asia and Latin America.
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