- NAC Air
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NAC Air 
IATA
-ICAO
HMRCallsign
HAMMERFounded 2000 Hubs Thunder Bay International Airport Fleet size 11 Destinations 26 Company slogan We're all about people Headquarters Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Key people Tom Meilleur (COO), Dino Armenti (CFO)[1] Website http://www.nacair.ca/ NAC Air was a Canadian regional airline. Its main base was at the Thunder Bay International Airport. NAC Air was a 100% First Nations-owned company, owned by the communities of Eabametoong (Fort Hope), Neskantaga (Lansdowne House), Webequie, Sachigo Lake, and Sandy Lake[2]
NAC Air ceased operations indefinitely in early 2008 due to financial difficulties.[3]
Contents
History
North American Charters (NAC) was established in 2000 to provide cheaper and more frequent airline services to First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario. NAC's airfares were 40-50% lower than its competitors' existing fares[citation needed] and it also offered daily services with the possibility of same-day returns for business travellers. It commenced services with two Piper PA31-350 Chieftains and quickly added a Fairchild SA226-TC Metro II as well. The two Chieftains were soon replaced by the first Pilatus PC-12s and the Metro was also retired at the end of 2001[4]. NAC grew steadily, evolving from the early two aircraft operation serving four communities to an eleven aircraft operation connecting Sioux Lookout, Ontario; Winnipeg; Thunder Bay; Red Lake, Ontario; Thompson, Manitoba and 21 First Nations communities[5]. In 2006 NAC changed its name to NAC Air, this coincided with the company moving into a new three-storey office and hangar complex at the Thunder Bay International Airport. In 2007 a base was opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it serviced 2 aircraft which flew out of Winnipeg and 1 which flew out of Thompson, Manitoba.
On 13 January 2008 NAC Air ceased operations indefinitely due to financial difficulties, they claim, stemmed from a lawsuit with rival Wasaya Airways. The shut down forced 150 employees off the job.[3]
Service Communities
- Brochet
- Bearskin Lake
- Big Trout Lake
- Deer Lake
- Fort Hope
- Gods Lake Narrows
- Gods River
- Kasabonika
- Lac Brochet
- Muskrat Dam
- Neskantaga
- Norway House
- Oxford House
- Pikangikum
- Red Lake
- Round Lake
- Sachigo Lake
- Sandy Lake
- Shamattawa
- Sioux Lookout
- Summer Beaver
- Tadoule Lake
- Thompson
- Thunder Bay
- Webequie
- Winnipeg
Fleet
As of November 2007 NAC Air had a fleet of 11 aircraft.[5]
References
- ^ Canadian Company Capabilities - NAC Air - Complete Profile. Retrieved on 15 January 2008
- ^ Stewart, Nick. "Nac Air's new digs bring fleet and staff expansion", Northern Ontario Business, September 2006. Retrieved on 15 January 2008.
- ^ a b "NAC Air grounds its fleet citing financial troubles", TBSource, 15 January 2008. Retrieved on 15 January 2008.
- ^ Canadian historic civil aircraft register search, using "North American Charters" as the search parameter. Search conducted 2007-11-06.
- ^ a b Canadian civil aircraft register search, using "NAC" as the search parameter. Search conducted 2007-11-06.
External links
- NAC Air official website
Categories:- Defunct airlines of Canada
- Companies based in Thunder Bay
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