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Though World Airways was founded in 1948 by Benjamin Pepper, Edward Daly is thought of as World's founder. He bought the airline in 1950 for $50,000 and proceeded to acquire DC-4s. World got its first government contract in 1951 and has had a substantial amount of government business since then. Later, World acquired DC-6s and Lockheed Constellations. World entered the jet era in the late 1960s with Boeing 707s and 727s. In the early 1970s world acquired Douglas DC-8s.

World became a key military contractor during the Vietnam War, flying troops and equipment between the war zone and World's base at Oakland International Airport. On March 29, 1975, World operated the last airlift flight out of Da Nang, VietnamThe Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. It borders China, Laos, Cambodia, and the Gulf of Tonkin. Cng Hoa Xa Hi Ch Nghia Vit Nam ( In Detail) (Full size) National motto: Dc lp, t do, hnh phuc (Independence, Liberty, Happiness Off, an event that made world news. Two 727s were flown to Da Nang, one of which landed with Daly aboard. Thousands rushed the airplane and it took off on a taxiway under heavy fire. When the airplane landed at Saigon, they estimated there were over 330 people on board. World did not return to Da Nang until April 17, 2002, then with an MD-11 aircraft to pick up a team of people resolving Missing-In-Action cases from the Vietnam War.

Also, in the early 1970s, World operated three Boeing 747The Boeing 747 also popularly known as the jumbo jet is the second largest passenger airliner after Airbus A380. Until the first commercial flight of the A380 in 2006, however, it remains the largest aircraft in commercial service. The four-engine 747, pr aircraft. Later, World acquired DC-10The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engined long-range airliner, with two engines mounted on underwing pylons and a third engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer. The model was a successor to the Douglas DC-8 for long-range operations, and compets some of which it still operates today. World experienced heavy losses in the 1980sMillennia: 1st millennium 2nd millennium 3rd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Events and trends as a result of an attempt at scheduled service. During the first Persian Gulf War, World did a substantial amount of profitable business for the military, enabling the addition of the MD-11The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a longer version of the DC-10 with winglets (upturned wingtips) and a glass cockpit. Production ceased after McDonnell-Douglas was acquired by Boeing. Until the end of production in February 2001, the MD-11 was assembled at to the fleet.

Today's fleet consists of DC-10 and MD-11 aircraft both in freighter and passenger configuration. Today, World Airways does not have any 'scheduled service'. Instead, World provides airlift for customers who need long-haul widebody aircraft for passenger and cargo service. World still receives a substantial amount of its business from the military, but does have both passenger and freight contracts with private organizations.