Still Going Strong: 4 Airlines Still Using the Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is possibly the most iconic airliner of all time (do you agree? Leave a comment below!).

Designed in the heyday of airliner development in the 1930s, it saw early airline service with carriers like American Airlines who quickly found it was able to make money flying passengers and not just airmail.

Soon the DC-3 was pressed into wartime service, with tens of thousands of airframes being built to support Allied military forces in transport, cargo, paratrooping and other specialist roles all around the world.

The DC-3 was also license built in Russia and Japan as the Lisunov Li-2 and Nakajima L2D respectively.

Following the war, startup airlines around the world found the abundance of DC-3 aircraft the perfect platform to begin flying cheaply and profitably, catapulting many into well-known carriers.

Today, the DC-3 still flies on in many parts of the world both in airline service and with heritage operators.

Many have also been upgraded into turboprop BT-67 variants by Baseler in the United States, giving the aircraft a new lease of life.

Here we look at 4 operators that are still using the DC-3 today.

Buffalo Airways

Photo (c) Anson Chappell

The famous Canadian specialist airline based in Yellowknife still flies a number of DC-3s. Sadly none are used in passenger services any more, but regularly haul cargo and equipment to remote communities.

Aliansa – Aerolineas Andinas

This Colombian airline serves many remote communities across the country, and its fleet is made up of a number of Douglas DC-3 aircraft. It is primarily a cargo carrier.

Colombian Air Force

Not strictly an airline, the Colombian Air Force has had a long association with the DC-3. It used the type as a transport and logistics aircraft, and today has a modified fleet of Baseler BT-67 aircraft which actually feature mounted guns.

Florida Air Cargo

Photo (c) Florida Air Cargo

Based at Opa Locka Airport near Miami, Florida Air Cargo operates three Douglas DC-3 freighters alongside other aircraft types.

These classic pistonliners regularly haul cargo to destinations including the Bahamas.

A heritage Douglas DC-3 at the Daks Over Normandy event in 2019.

There are, of course, many other heritage operators of DC-3s, as well as smaller private operators who maintain these historic aircraft in immaculate condition and even allow paying passengers to experience flight aboard.

You can find them across the United States, as well as in New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands.

Have you ever flown on a DC-3? Leave a comment below!

Title image: Anson Chappell