Canadian Pacific Air Lines, also known as CP Air, was a Canadian airline. It existed from 1942 to 1987. In the 1940s, several small airlines were combined to form CP Air. Air Canada was owned by the government and CP Air could not fly the same routes that Air Canada flew. So in 1949, the airline started international flights to Australia, China, Fiji and The Netherlands. These were countries that Air Canada did not service. In 1961, it bought its first jet aircraft - a Douglas DC-8. By the 1960s CP Air flew to several cities across 5 continents—Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. In the early 1980s CP Air was allowed to fly wherever it wanted. It rapidly increased the number of planes and opened several new routes. By 1987, the airline had a debt of $1 billion. In 1987 Air Canada was privatized by the National Transportation Act. The company Pacific Western Airlines then purchased Canadian Pacific Airlines. It was renamed Canadian Airlines. Canadian Airlines itself was combined with Air Canada in 2001.