Air Oregon: Filling the Gap, 1977-1982
Air Oregon was one of a number of airlines that filled the gap left when bigger airlines dropped services to smaller communities after deregulation.
Air Oregon's beginnings were spent over decade as a charter operation and flight school based in Portland starting in 1961 named Executive Flight Services. For most of that period, scheduled air services in Oregon and the smaller communities of the Pacific Northwest was from Air West which was formed in 1968 from the three way merger of West Coast Airlines, Bonanza Air Lines, and Pacific Airlines. In 1970, eager to get back in the business after being booted from TWA, Howard Hughes bought Air West and it became Hughes Airwest.
In the mid-1970s, Hughes Airwest began to streamline its network and dropped service to many Oregon cities that were a hold over from West Coast Airlines. Executive Flight Services rebranded as Air Oregon to restore scheduled air service to many of those communities starting with Piper Navajos. Passenger demand was such that Swearingen Metroliners were delivered in 1978.
By 1979, Air Oregon was flying to over 14 destinations not just in Oregon but also to Boise, Reno, and Seattle.
The airline added the Dash 7 in 1980 to support expansion into northern California as far south as San Francisco and Sacramento.
Justin Colin was a New York businessman who had purchased several smaller Bay Area commuter airlines to merge them into a larger airline called Golden Gate Airlines. With an eye towards expanding north, Colin bought Air Oregon in 1981 but kept it a separate operation. Golden Gate ran into financial difficulties after acquiring Swift Aire and had to shut down in 1982.
This left Air Oregon out in the wind. The airline was acquired in 1982 by Horizon and folded into their operation, giving Horizon an important expansion opportunity.
Dash 7 photo: Departed Wings
Metro photo: Ken Haynes