Empire Air Lines

Empire Air Lines was a United States local-service and feeder airline established in July 1944 by Bert Zimmerly in Lewiston, Idaho. It grew out of Zimmerly Airlines, a commercial charter operator that Zimmerly had been running since 1943. Although founded during the rapid expansion of postwar commercial aviation, Empire did not begin regular operations immediately. The company remained inactive until early 1946, when it acquired the assets of Zimmerly Airlines, including ten Boeing 247 aircraft. The airline began with an intrastate operating model focused on Idaho. Its principal scheduled service connected Coeur d'Alene and Pocatello, with four intermediate stops on the daily round trip. This route structure reflected the role of small local-service carriers in the United States aviation system: they linked smaller communities to one another and provided access to larger regional transportation networks at a time when long-distance airline service was concentrated in major cities. Empire subsequently sought to expand beyond Idaho. The Civil Aeronautics Board granted it temporary authority to operate interstate feeder routes from Spokane, Washington, to communities in Idaho and eastern Oregon. This permission placed the company within the federal regulatory framework that governed route allocation, fares, and market entry for U.S. airlines during the period. Empire's operating footprint nevertheless remained regional rather than national. By the time of its sale in 1952, the airline had reduced or otherwise changed its fleet to five Douglas DC-3 aircraft. The Civil Aeronautics Board approved the sale of Empire Air Lines to West Coast Airlines for approximately $500,000. The transaction ended Empire's independent existence and transferred its operations into a larger regional airline structure. Empire is therefore best understood as a short-lived postwar local-service carrier rather than a continuing consumer airline brand. No evidence in the supplied references indicates that the name remains active as an airline, that it became a listed company, or that it maintained operations after the 1952 transaction.

Empire Air Lines was founded in July 1944 in Lewiston, Idaho, by Bert Zimmerly. Its origins lay in Zimmerly Airlines, a commercial charter business that had been operating since 1943. The new company was created during a transitional period in American aviation, when wartime aircraft, pilots, and infrastructure were increasingly being redirected toward civilian passenger operations. Despite its 1944 incorporation, Empire did not immediately establish a scheduled network and remained inactive until early 1946. In 1946, Empire purchased the assets of Zimmerly Airlines. The acquired property included ten Boeing 247 aircraft, an early generation of all-metal twin-engine airliners that had previously been important in U.S. commercial aviation. With these assets, Empire began operating as an Idaho-focused local-service carrier. Its initial scheduled network was centered on a daily round trip between Coeur d'Alene and Pocatello, with four intermediate stops. This route connected communities within the state rather than attempting to compete directly with the major national airlines on long-distance trunk routes. Empire later pursued interstate authority as the federal government organized a more formal system of feeder airlines. The Civil Aeronautics Board granted the carrier temporary permission to operate routes from Spokane, Washington, to destinations in Idaho and eastern Oregon. The authorization broadened Empire's geographic reach and connected its Idaho services with a wider inland Northwest market. The available reference material does not specify the full list of authorized stops, the duration of the temporary authority, or the exact dates on which each route operated. The airline's fleet had changed by the end of its independent life. At the time of its merger or sale to West Coast Airlines, Empire was operating five Douglas DC-3 aircraft. The DC-3 was a major postwar passenger aircraft, better suited than earlier designs to efficient regional scheduled service, but Empire remained a small operator in comparison with larger U.S. carriers. In 1952, the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the sale of Empire Air Lines to West Coast Airlines for about $500,000. The transaction concluded Empire's independent corporate and operating history. West Coast Airlines was a larger regional carrier, and the sale consolidated Empire's routes and assets within that broader organization. The supplied sources do not identify a successor consumer brand using the Empire name, nor do they document operations after the transaction. Empire Air Lines is consequently recorded as a defunct American regional airline whose principal historical significance lies in its role as an Idaho and inland Northwest feeder carrier during the formative postwar years of regulated U.S. commercial aviation.

• 1952

  Sale to West Coast Airlines

  [1]Empire Air Linesen.wikipedia.org

  The Civil Aeronautics Board approved the sale of Empire Air Lines to West Coast Airlines for approximately $500,000. Empire had five DC-3 aircraft at the time of the transaction.

• 1946

  Scheduled airline operations begin

  [1]Empire Air Linesen.wikipedia.org

  After a period of inactivity, Empire acquired Zimmerly Airlines' assets, including ten Boeing 247 aircraft, and began operating an Idaho intrastate route between Coeur d'Alene and Pocatello.

• 1944

  Empire Air Lines is founded

  [1]Empire Air Linesen.wikipedia.org

  Bert Zimmerly founded Empire Air Lines in July in Lewiston, Idaho.

• 1943

  Zimmerly Airlines begins charter operations

  [1]Empire Air Linesen.wikipedia.org

  Bert Zimmerly was operating Zimmerly Airlines as a commercial charter service, providing the business foundation from which Empire Air Lines later developed.

• Temporary interstate feeder authority is granted

  [1]Empire Air Linesen.wikipedia.org

  The Civil Aeronautics Board authorized Empire on a temporary basis to operate interstate feeder routes between Spokane and points in Idaho and eastern Oregon.

A small postwar local-service and feeder carrier serving Idaho and nearby inland Northwest markets.

• Passenger aviation · 1946

  Scheduled regional passenger service

  Empire's primary offering was scheduled passenger transportation on short regional routes. Its initial service operated a daily round trip between Coeur d'Alene and Pocatello, with four intermediate stops. The airline later received temporary authorization for feeder routes from Spokane into Idaho and eastern Oregon, extending its service beyond an exclusively intrastate network.

• Charter aviation · 1943

  Charter aviation heritage

  Empire was established by Bert Zimmerly after he had operated Zimmerly Airlines as a commercial charter service. The reference material identifies this predecessor activity as the airline's origin, but does not establish that Empire itself continued to market a separate charter product after beginning scheduled operations.

• 1952

  Sale to West Coast AirlinesM&A

  Background

  Empire was a small regional carrier operating in the inland Northwest. By the time of the transaction, its fleet consisted of five DC-3 aircraft.

  Action taken

  The Civil Aeronautics Board approved West Coast Airlines' purchase of Empire Air Lines for approximately $500,000.

  Aftermath

  Empire ceased to operate as an independent airline and its assets and business were absorbed into West Coast Airlines.

  Sale price. $500,000 (1952; approximately $500,000 at the time of the transaction)

  Source

• 1946

  Shift from inactive holding company to Idaho local-service carrierStrategy

  Background

  After being founded in 1944, Empire remained inactive until early 1946. The company then acquired the assets of Zimmerly Airlines and established regular intrastate passenger service in Idaho.

  Action taken

  Empire used the acquired aircraft and operating assets to launch daily service between Coeur d'Alene and Pocatello, with intermediate stops.

  Aftermath

  The move created Empire's initial scheduled network and defined its role as a local-service rather than national trunk airline.

  Source

• Pursuit of interstate feeder operationsStrategy

  Background

  Empire initially operated within Idaho but sought access to neighboring markets in the inland Northwest.

  Action taken

  The Civil Aeronautics Board granted temporary permission for routes between Spokane and locations in Idaho and eastern Oregon.

  Aftermath

  The authorization expanded Empire's potential operating territory beyond Idaho, although the available material does not provide a complete route history or subsequent traffic results.

  Source

1. 1Empire Air Linesen.wikipedia.org