| Airline: | Empire Air Lines |
| Founded: | 1944 |
| Ceased: | 1952 |
| Bases: | Lewiston, Idaho |
| Focus Cities: | Boise, Idaho Spokane, Washington |
| Headquarters: | Lewiston, Idaho |
| Key People: | Bert Zimmerly, President |
Empire Air Lines was a local service carrier that was founded in July 1944 by Bert Zimmerly at Lewiston, Idaho. The founder had formerly been operating Zimmerly Airlines, a commercial charter service that had been operating since 1943. Empire was inactive until early in 1946, when it purchased the assets of Zimmerly Airlines, including ten Boeing 247 aircraft.[1] [2] Starting as an intrastate airline in Idaho, it operated daily round trip service between Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Pocatello, Idaho with four intermediate stops.[2] The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) granted temporary permission to the airline to offer interstate feeder lines between Spokane, Washington and locations in Idaho and eastern Oregon.[3] [4]
In 1952, the CAB approved the sale of Empire Air Lines to West Coast Airlines for about $500,000 .[5]