History
Prospections for the development of aviation in the British West African Territory trace as far back as 1944 when, following World War II, Lord Swinton ordered the first studies. The British Ministry of Civil Aviation supported the Sanford Committee, which was established to that particular end, and both entities recommended the formation of the West African Air Transport Authority. The order-in-council enacting the formation of the West African Air Transport Authority (ATA) was signed by King George VI on May 15, 1946.
The origins of West African Airways Corporation can be traced back to 1946, when it was established by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC),[7] and economically supported by four West African British colonies, Nigeria being the major shareholder (68%), followed by the Gold Coast (29.5%), Sierra Leone (2%), and The Gambia holding the balance.[4] It began operations in October 1947,[8] following the delivery of its first aircraft, an event that took place on 14 September 1947.[9] The De Havilland Dove aircraft inaugurated WAAC's first scheduled service from Lagos to Calabar during October 1947.[10]
The company was aimed at providing the British West Africa with air transport facilities, to connecting it with Dakar and Khartoum in order to provide passengers with a gateway to the Americas and the Middle East, respectively, and to operating feeder flights that connected with the Europe-bound BOAC Hermes services at Accra, Lagos and Kano.[4][8] The close ties with BOAC were evidenced by the fact that WAAC actually acted as an agent for the British state carrier in Nigeria and the Gold Coast.[4]
On 31 March 1948 WAAC became responsible for operation of the inter-Colonial West African coastal services and extended operation to Freetown, Bathurst and Dakar. The airline began a Lagos-Khartoum service with Bristol 170s in April 1950. This was suspended in August 1953.[11]
WAAC became very popular in the early 1950s for offering at least four Bristol Freighter-operated second-class services at discounted airfares, cheaper than any other mean of transportation. Two of them were the "Coastal Flyer", that covered the 250 mi between Accra and Lagos in 1 3/4 hours for £4 at 1951 prices, and the "Hausa Flyer" that covered the Accra–Lagos–Ibadan–Jos–Kano route, for which the Lagos–Kano leg took 4 hours —against an almost two-day journey by train— and was £3 (1951 prices) cheaper than the train.[4]
As the member states gained Commonwealth status from the United Kingdom, they set up their own carriers—Ghana Airways, Sierra Leone Airways, and Gambia Air Shuttle. WAAC was formally dissolved in 1958, as Nigeria was the only state eventually having a participation in the airline.[12][13] WAAC assets and liabilities were inherited by WAAC (Nigeria), that operated as "Nigerian Airways" effective 1 October 1958.[6][14] WAAC (Nigeria) was later rebranded Nigeria Airways.
Livery
The WAAC livery consisted of a green cheatline bordered by thinner gold lines. An airborne green elephant named Skypower was painted in a golden circle background at both sides, in the forward part of each aircraft.[17]
