Air Saguenay

Air Saguenay is a regional airline based in northern Quebec, Canada.

History

In the early 1960s Peter Schoch, mink breeder, bought Saguenay Air Service, a carrier based at Kenogami Lake, owned by Saguenay Aero Club and used to train pilots. Schoch decided to open a new seaplane base, Lac Sébastien Water Aerodrome at St-David de Falardeau, Lake Sebastien, to offer a better service to companies like Alcan or Price Brothers, fishermen, hunters and services for forest fire patrol. The company expanded and merged in the mid 1970s with Gagnon Air Service to become a new company: Air Saguenay.

In 1980, the owner became Jean-Claude Tremblay who pushed the company one step further with his personnalized approach, and the quality offered with his services. A second seaplane base, Chutes-des-Passes/Lac Margane Water Aerodrome was opened at Chûte-des-passes in 1982. It was a strategic location to access new territories for fishing and moose hunting and to better position himself toward the north. 1984 was a major year for the expansion of Air Saguenay. It purchased Air Caribou in Fermont and also purchased Club Chambeaux outfitters which gave him access to great fishing and caribou hunting in Northern Quebec. In 1986, the growth continued with the addition of a new seaplane base in Schefferville. He also purchased many other small bush operators in the 1990s, to reinforce the position of his company all over Northern Quebec.

Since 1998, the carrier expanded again with the purchase of Labrador Air Safari and Derap Aviation, both companies located on the north shore of Saint Lawrence River. Air Saguenay has now become, under Jean-Claude Tremblay and his son Jean Tremblay, an important bush carrier in Eastern Canada [ [http://www.airsaguenay.com/index_en.php?categories=2 Air Saguenay website] ]

Fleet

As of 1 August 2008 Air Saguenay had the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada: [http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/activepages/ccarcs/en/Current_E.asp?x_lang=E Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Air Saguenay"] (enter Air Saguenay in the box titled "Owner Name")]
*7 DHC-3 Otter
**DHC-3-T Turbo-Otter
**DHC-3/1000
*8 DHC-2 Beaver
*1 Cessna 185 (Cessna Skywagon)
*1 Cessna 208 (Cessna Caravan)

ee also

*Lac Pau (Caniapiscau) Water Aerodrome

References

External links

* [http://www.airsaguenay.com/index_en.php?categories=3 Air Saguenay] en icon
* [http://www.airsaguenay.com/index_fr.php?categories=3 Air Saguenay] Fr icon