A Brief History of WAA -- 1958: Hope and Crisis

A new chapter in West Australian's history began in 1958 with the introduction of its first jet aircraft -- the first commercial jetliners in Australian skies. West Australian Airways purchased ten Boeing 707-120s, and assigned them to international routes previously inaccessible to WAA, including destinations in China and India.

1958, however, was also a troubled year for the 37-year-old airline. Trans Australia Airlines had been rapidly expanding -- far more quickly than Norman Brearley predicted. Alarmed by this change in dynamic, Brearley quickly leased twenty new de Havilland Comet 4Cs, and opened a hub at Perth Airport to access connecting passengers. This proved to be one of his biggest mistakes, as the financial weight of the order crippled WAA, and pushed it into debt. To make matters worse, the Comets when they entered service became extremely expensive to operate, given their fuel-guzzling engines combined with their limited range of only 2828 miles.

As debt piled on, Brearley took another gamble, issuing two five-million-dollar bonds, allowing the company more time to recover from its miscalculation. Slowly, but surely, WAA's finances improved, and the company returned a small profit in 1959 after a huge loss in 1958. Between 1958 and 1959, Brearley also leased Ilyushin Il-18Ds and Boeing 707-320Cs to offset the expenses of the Comets, as simply terminating their contracts would have cost far too much for the airline to handle.

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