- First Air
-
First Air IATA
7FICAO
FAB[1]Callsign
FIRST AIRFounded 1946 Hubs Yellowknife Airport,
Iqaluit AirportFrequent-flyer program Aeroplan Airport lounge No Fleet size 20,[2][3] 25[4] Destinations 34[5] Headquarters Kanata, Ontario[6] Key people Scott Bateman President & C.E.O
Kris Dolinki VP, Finance
Rashwan Domloge VP, Maintenance
Chris Ferris VP, Marketing & Sales
Bill Roach VP, Flight Operations
Bill Thompson VP, Commercial Operations[7]Website http://www.firstair.ca Bradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, is an airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada.[6] It operates services to 30 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories.[5] The majority of its fleet is available for charters worldwide. First Air has also assisted in various humanitarian missions such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, airlifting relief supplies and equipment.[8] Its main base - including a large hanger and maintenance facility - is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, with hubs at Iqaluit Airport and Yellowknife Airport.[9]
Contents
History
The airline was founded by Canadian aviation pioneer Russel (Russ) Bradley and started operations as Bradley Air Services in 1946 and is still registered under that name. First Air first started scheduled operations in 1973, between Ottawa and North Bay. This service was operated with an eight seat passenger plane. Eventually, the airline would have southern gateways at Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. Through Kuujjuaq, in Nunavik and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, the airline provides services to 26 Inuit communities in Nunavut, Nunavik and the NWT.[5] Service to Sanikiluaq, Nunavut is provided in partnership with Air Inuit. In 1995 First Air bought Ptarmigan Airways, and in 1997 it bought Northwest Territorial Airways, both of which were merged into First Air. In 2011 First Air celebrated its 65th anniversary.[10][11]
First Air is wholly owned by the Inuit people of Quebec through the Makivik Corporation, who purchased the company in 1990.[12][13]
On 21 August 2008, First Air fired president Bob Davis and replaced him with new president Scott Bateman. Davis had been president since December 1997 and had several disagreements with First Air over a period of time.[14]
On 5 June 2009 First Air received their first wide-body aircraft in the form of a Boeing 767-223 SF (Super Freighter) which is under a 3 year dry lease from (CAM) Cargo Aircraft Management, a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG).[15]
After the introduction of the more economical (both operationally and logistically) Boeing 767-223SF, in March 2010, First Air retired and removed their two Boeing 727-233 aircraft from their fleet. One was one of only two combi types in the world, and the last 727-200 in North America on scheduled passenger/freight services. The other 727-233F full freighter has also been phased out. These aircraft are currently stored in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Joining these aircraft is a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 C-GFNW which has been retired as of late March 2011. Replacing this aircraft will be 2 Aérospatiale ATR72's as part of First Air's fleet replacement program. These are to come online late first quarter 2011.
In February 2011, First Air along with Qikiqtaaluk Corporation (QC) started a new airline named Qikiqtani First Aviation Ltd. The new company provides services throughout the Qikiqtani Region utilizing First Air’s fleet.[16]
Destinations
First Air operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations:[5]
- Northwest Territories
- Fort Simpson (Fort Simpson Airport)
- Hay River (Hay River Airport)
- Inuvik (Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport)
- Norman Wells (Norman Wells Airport)
- Ulukhaktok (Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport)
- Yellowknife (Yellowknife Airport) Hub
- Nunavut
- Arctic Bay (Arctic Bay Airport)
- Arviat (Arviat Airport)
- Baker Lake (Baker Lake Airport)
- Cambridge Bay (Cambridge Bay Airport)
- Cape Dorset (Cape Dorset Airport)
- Chesterfield Inlet (Chesterfield Inlet Airport)
- Clyde River (Clyde River Airport)
- Coral Harbour (Coral Harbour Airport)
- Gjoa Haven (Gjoa Haven Airport)
- Hall Beach (Hall Beach Airport)
- Igloolik (Igloolik Airport)
- Iqaluit (Iqaluit Airport) Hub
- Kimmirut (Kimmirut Airport)
- Kugaaruk (Kugaaruk Airport)
- Kugluktuk (Kugluktuk Airport)
- Pangnirtung (Pangnirtung Airport)
- Pond Inlet (Pond Inlet Airport)
- Qikiqtarjuaq (Qikiqtarjuaq Airport)
- Rankin Inlet (Rankin Inlet Airport)
- Repulse Bay (Repulse Bay Airport)
- Resolute (Resolute Bay Airport)
- Taloyoak (Taloyoak Airport)
- Whale Cove (Whale Cove Airport)
- Ontario
- Ottawa (Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport) Cargo Hub / Maintenance Base
Fleet
The First Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of October 2011):[2][3][4]
First Air Fleet Aircraft No. of Aircraft
(FAB list)[2][3]No. of Aircraft
(TC list)[4]Variants Notes Aérospatiale ATR 42 9 9 ATR42-300
ATR42-32042 seats, combi aircraft, ice/gravel runway capable[3][17] Aérospatiale ATR 72 0/2 2 ATR-72-212C Combi aircraft up to 60 passengers[18] Hawker Siddeley HS 748 1/0 2 Series 2
Series 2A40 seats, combi aircraft, large cargo door & ice/gravel runway capable.[3] This airframe has been retired and is now stored in Trois-Rivières QC.[citation needed] Boeing 727 1/0 2 727-233F Cargo only, ice runway capable.[3] Those aircraft were retired from the fleet late 2009, and are stored in Trois-Rivières QC.[citation needed] Boeing 737 6 6 737-200
737-200C3 200C, 115 seats, combi or 7 pallets full freighter configuration, ice/gravel runway capable, 3 200's 99 seats and no cargo[3][19][20] Boeing 767 1 1 767-223SF Cargo only 19 pallet configuration, as food mail no longer exists this is now primarily used for the Nutrition North Program.[3][21] Lockheed L-100 Hercules 2 2 L-382G Cargo only configuration 5-8 pallets or bulk loaded freight.[3][22] A Douglas DC-3 is still listed with Transport Canada but with its certificate cancelled.[4]
Accidents and incidents
- 28 January 1974, a Douglas C-47B CF-TVK, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 CF-DIJ, and de Havilland Canada DHC-3 CF-OHD of Bradley Air Services were destroyed in a hangar fire at Carp Airport, Ottawa.[23][24][25]
- 23 August 1978, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 C-FQDG of Bradley Air Services was destroyed in Frobisher Bay, NU.[26]
- 29 August 1979, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 C-GROW of Bradley Air Services was destroyed in Frobisher Bay, NU.[27]
- 15 March 1981, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 C-FDHT of Bradley Air Services sunk through polar ice near Nord, Greenland.[28]
- 15 September 1988, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 C-GFFA of Bradley Air Services was destroyed in a crash near Hammond, ON.[29]
- 12 January 1989, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 C-GDOV of Bradley Air Services was destroyed in a crash near Dayton, Ohio.[30]
- 12 August 1996, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 C-GNDN of First Air was destroyed near Markham Bay, NU.[31]
- 3 December 1998, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 C-FBNW of Bradley Air Services was damaged beyond repair after landing in Frobisher Bay, NU.[32]
- 22 May 2001, a Boeing B-737-210C C-GNWI of First Air was damaged beyond repair after landing in Yellowknife, NT.[33]
- 25 February 2004, a First Air Boeing B-737-200 (C-GNWN) returning to Edmonton as a ferry flight from Lupin Mine landed beside the runway and traveled approximately 1600 feet before returning to the runway. There were no injuries. [34]
- 20 August 2011, Flight 6560, a First Air Boeing B-737-200 (C-GNWN)[35] flying a charter flight crashed en route from Yellowknife to Resolute, killing 12 and injuring 3 others.[36]
References
- ^ Transport Canada - Air Traffic Designators - TP 143
- ^ a b c Media Kit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i First Air fleet details (PDF)
- ^ a b c d Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Bradley Air Services" (enter Bradley Air Services in the box titled "Owner Name")
- ^ a b c d First Air route map, Destinations
- ^ a b "First Air Head Office." First Air. Retrieved on 13 March 2011. "20 Cope Drive Kanata, Ontario Canada, K2M 2V8"
- ^ Officers
- ^ Northern airline sends planes to Haiti
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 82. 2007-04-03.
- ^ Milestones
- ^ About First Air
- ^ First Air
- ^ Ownership
- ^ First Air fires president Davis
- ^ Transport Services Group to Lease 767 to First Air
- ^ Qikiqtaaluk Corporation and First Air sign new airline joint venture agreement
- ^ ATR 42 at First Air
- ^ ATR 72 at First Air
- ^ Boeing 737-200 at First Air
- ^ Boeing 737-200C at First Air
- ^ Boeing 767-223SF at First Air
- ^ Lockheed L-100 Hercules
- ^ "CF-TVK Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19740128-1. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
- ^ "CF-DIJ Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19740128-0. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Otter of the Week". Fly the Bush. http://flythebush.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ "C-FQDG Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780823-0. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-GROW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19790829-0. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-FDHT Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19810315-0. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-GFFA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19880915-1. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-GDOV Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19890112-0. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-GNDN Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19960812-2. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-FBNW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19981203-0. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "C-GNWI Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20010522-1. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ AVIATION REPORTS - 2004 - A04W0032
- ^ First Air 737 Crashes in Northern Canada, Killing 12
- ^ Plane crash near Resolute Bay kills 12
External links
- First Air official website (English)/(French)/(Inupiaq)
- Above & Beyond inflight magazine
- First Air profile at Industry Canada
Categories:- Articles with Inupiaq language external links
- Regional airlines of Ontario
- Regional airlines of the Canadian Territories
- Cargo Airline Association
- Air Transport Association of Canada
- Companies based in Ottawa
- Aviation in the Northwest Territories
- Aviation in Nunavut
- Airlines established in 1973
- Aviation in Yukon
- Inuit transport
- Northwest Territories
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