World Airways Shuts Down

World Airways [WO/WOA] operated its final flight last night, as an attempt at securing additional funding for the charter airline fell through. The above photo of N742WA (c/n 27071, l/n 1072), a 747-412F, was taken this past February as WOA8810, a military charter flight. The above photo of N270WA (c/n 48449, l/n 455) was taken in 2011.

World Airways operated many charter flights for the US Department of Defense (DoD) that stopped through HIK since it gained government contracts. At the height of the Viet Nam War, World's 707-373Cs and DC-8-63CFs were frequent visitors to HIK. During the mid-1980s, World Airways operated low-cost DC-10-10 scheduled service between HNL and LAX, and HNL and OAK, which lasted only a few years. World had gone through financial struggles in the 1990s and 2000s, and concentrated on the cargo market, and military ad hoc charters.

Further details in this World Airline News article.


On a personal note, I had flown on one of those HNL-LAX round-trip flights on World in August 1985, and the total fare per person was just US$200 (+ taxes and fees). World used the Tom Bradley International Terminal for these flights.

N384WA

An ex-World Airways MD-11F, N384WA (c/n 48435, l/n 478), is heading off to Asia after being stored in the Mojave desert. It arrived from MHV, via LAX, yesterday afternoon.

48435 was delivered to Varig in December, 1991 where it flew as PP-VOQ. It then was converted to a freighter in 1999 and taken up by Gemini Air Cargo as N702GC where it flew from January, 2000 until the company ceased operations in August, 2008. It was leased two months later to World Airways as N384WA until the lease was up in April of last year.

*** 07.28.13 Update ***
N384WA left HNL for QPG [Paya Lebar Air Base (RSAF), Singapore)] early this morning.

World MD-11

This World Airways MD-11 arrived in HNL on June 18 from Rockhampton, Australia. Here it is parked on the North Ramp. I'm pretty sure it is just laying over after flying a military charter. This is an ex-DL aircraft and still carries the same registration, N804DE.