Donghai Airlines

Eastern Provincial Airways (ICAO: EPA) was a significant Canadian airline operating primarily in Atlantic and eastern Canada before its merger in 1986.

Eastern Provincial Airways (EPA) was founded in 1949 in St. John's, Newfoundland, by Eric Blackwood, a bush pilot and WWII veteran, with the financial backing of C.A. Crosbie. Initially, the airline focused on diverse "bush flying" operations, including ambulance services, mail delivery, cargo transport, charters, and forest and ice patrols. In 1953, EPA moved its main base of operations to Gander, Newfoundland, to avoid the adverse weather conditions in St. John's. The company expanded significantly over the years, and in 1963, it acquired Maritime Central Airways (MCA), consolidating its position as a major regional carrier.

Throughout the 1970s, EPA evolved into a modern airline, standardizing much of its fleet. By 1984, facing the changes brought by airline deregulation, EPA entered into a strategic alliance with CP Air of Vancouver, which complemented CP Air's lack of an extensive network east of Montreal. This alliance eventually led to CP Air acquiring EPA, and by 1986, Eastern Provincial Airways ceased independent operations, merging into CP Air to form Canadian Pacific Air Lines.

EPA's fleet was diverse in its early years, including aircraft such as the Noorduyn Norseman, Consolidated PBY Catalina (Canso), Curtiss C-46, de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-4 (including Aviation Traders Carvair conversions), and Lockheed Model 10 Electra. In the 1960s, it introduced the Handley Page Dart Herald twin turboprop. By the 1970s, EPA aimed to standardize its passenger operations primarily with Boeing 737-200 jetliners, acquiring seven of these aircraft. It also operated Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprops, especially for regional routes. Its route network predominantly covered Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island), extending westward to Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. The airline also operated charter flights to destinations in Florida and the Caribbean. While specific details on distinct cabin classes are limited for this historical airline, its evolution reflected a transition from varied utility services to a more structured passenger airline competing with larger national carriers.