Pakistan International Airlines can trace its origins to the days when Pakistan had not yet gained independence from the British Raj. In 1946, the country's founder Muhammed Ali Jinnah realized the need for a flag carrier for the prospective country and requested financial help from a wealthy businessman Mirza Ahmad Ispahani and Adamjee Haji Dawood for this purpose. Around that time, a new airline 'Orient Airways', was registered in Calcutta on 23 October 1946. In February 1947, the airline bought three DC-3 airplanes from a company in Texas and obtained a license to fly in May of the same year. The airline started its operations in June, offering services from Kolkata to Sittwe and Yangon. On 14 August 1947, Pakistan came into being and Orient Airways started relief operations for the new country. It was the first and only Muslim owned airline in India and flew from 1947 to 1955.