A Brief History of WAA -- Going International

1956 saw West Australian Airways open its first international route between Melbourne and Auckland. This coincided with WAA's transformation into its current corporate form. By this time, it had become predominantly known affectionately as the "Swan's Wings", after the state bird of Western Australia, the black swan. The opening of WAA's first international service presented the perfect opportunity to revamp the company's image. On 4 April, WAA announced it would adopt the nickname as its now-famous tagline, "The Swan's Wings", effective 1 May. A new livery was revealed on 6 April, and the rebranding was complete on 30 June. The first of WAA's aircraft under the new colours -- a new DC-7C (pictured) -- took off on 5 May.

---

Template by Med