Bearskin Airlines

Last updated

Bearskin Airlines
Bearskin Airlines Logo.svg
Fairchild SA-227AC Metro III, Bearskin Airlines AN0587085.jpg
A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner A227-AC at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport
IATA ICAO Call sign
JVBLS [1] BEARSKIN [1]
FoundedJuly 17, 1963;61 years ago (1963-07-17) [2]
AOC # Canada: 1861, [3] United States: VEKF819I [4]
Hubs
Focus cities Sudbury
Frequent-flyer program Connecting Rewards
Fleet size22 [5]
Destinations10 [6]
Parent company Exchange Income Corporation (Perimeter Aviation) [7]
Headquarters Thunder Bay, Ontario
Key peopleJohn Hegland, founder
Website www.bearskinairlines.com

Bearskin Lake Air Service LP, operating as Bearskin Airlines, is a regional airline based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is a division of Perimeter Aviation and operates services in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Its main base is at Thunder Bay International Airport (YQT), with a hub at Greater Sudbury Airport (YSB). [8]

Contents

History

Bearskin Airlines' Metroliner Bearskin Metro.jpg
Bearskin Airlines' Metroliner

The airline was established in 1963 by bush pilot Otto John Hegland and began operations in July 1963 [2] from its base at Big Trout Lake, home of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation. However, the airline was named after Bearskin Lake, home of the Bearskin Lake First Nation (where Hegland had a general store). It started by providing only charter services to the remote First Nations reserves in northern Ontario, using bush planes equipped with floats in the summer and skis in the winter. In 1977, it began its first regular scheduled flights between Big Trout Lake and Sioux Lookout. [9] [2]

From then on, other scheduled flights were progressively added, first to Thunder Bay, followed by Kenora and Winnipeg. This was also the period when the Government of Ontario began constructing new airfields that would make the northern communities accessible year-round. [2] Therefore, in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Bearskin made the transition of bush planes to wheeled commuter planes. [9] It entered into a commercial agreement with Air Ontario and joined Aeroplan in fall 1988. [2]

In the 1990s, Bearskin operated between Thunder Bay and Minneapolis–Saint Paul for almost three years. Following the collapse of NorOntair in 1996, Bearskin picked up over two-thirds of that carrier's routes, thereby adding scheduled service to all the major northern Ontario cities including Marathon, Timmins and Wawa. Three years later, it expanded operations to destinations in northern Manitoba. [2]

In September 2001, Bearskin launched its route between Toronto-Buttonville and Ottawa with seven daily roundtrips on weekdays and three daily roundtrips on weekends. [10] This was followed by Toronto-Buttonville and Sudbury route with three daily roundtrips in April 2003. In July 2003, it sold its routes and assets servicing northern First Nations communities to Wasaya Airways for $18 million. [2] This marked a break from its bush flying background to focus on becoming a regional carrier. [9] It withdrew its service between Toronto-Buttonville and Ottawa in August 2004 due to competition from major carriers. Sudbury received major connectivity improvement in April 2006. [11] Bearskin launched a new route between Ottawa and Waterloo in October 2007. [2]

It was owned by Harvey Friesen (president), Cliff Friesen (executive vice-president), Karl Friesen (vice president of operations), Rick Baratta (vice president of finance) and Brad Martin (director of operations). In 2010 it was sold to Exchange Income Corporation (EIC) for $32 million. EIC also owns Calm Air, Perimeter Aviation, PAL Airlines, Keewatin Air, and several other non-airline companies. Bearskin had 240 employees in 2007. [8]

As of April 1, 2014, all service at Region of Waterloo Airport (YKF) and Ottawa Airport (YOW) was cancelled, affecting seven routes and significantly decreased the flight operations. The company indicated that a softening mining sector and high tech sectors (such as BlackBerry) were to blame for cutting the routes. Additional factors included the introduction of new competitors (such as Porter Airlines). [12] The company indicated that it is refocusing on northwestern and northeastern routes in Northern Ontario. [13] [14] [15] [16]

Bearskin is a major provider of flights for Hope Air, a charity that organizes free non-emergency medical flights for people in financial need, particularly from remote communities. [17]

Destinations

Bearskin Metroliner at dusk Bearskin Metroliner Winnipeg.jpg
Bearskin Metroliner at dusk

Bearskin Airlines operates services to the following Canadian domestic scheduled destinations: [6]

ProvinceCityIATAICAOAirportNotes
Ontario Dryden YHDCYHD Dryden Regional Airport
Fort Frances YAGCYAG Fort Frances Municipal Airport
Kenora YQKCYQK Kenora Airport
North Bay YYBCYYB North Bay/Jack Garland Airport
Red Lake YRLCYRL Red Lake Airport
Sault Ste. Marie YAMCYAM Sault Ste. Marie Airport
Sioux Lookout YXLCYXL Sioux Lookout Airport Hub
Sudbury YSBCYSB Sudbury Airport Focus
Thunder Bay YQTCYQT Thunder Bay International Airport Hub
Manitoba Winnipeg YWGCYWG Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Hub
Bearskin Metroliner interior Metroliner interior.JPG
Bearskin Metroliner interior

Fleet

As per the Bearskin Airlines website, the only aircraft they operate are Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners. As of February 2023, Perimeter Aviation has 22 of the aircraft available: [5] [18]

Bearskin Airlines fleet
AircraftNumberVariantsPassengersNotes
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner 22 SA227 Series 1915 - SA227-AC Metro III
2 - SA227-CC Metro 23
5 - SA227-DC Metro 23
Bearskin Metroliner at Region of Waterloo International Airport Waterloo Airport Terminal.jpg
Bearskin Metroliner at Region of Waterloo International Airport

Previously operated

Bearskin Airlines has flown the following aircraft in the past: [9] [2]

Affinity programs

Bearskin Airlines joined the Aeroplan when it entered into a commercial agreement with Air Ontario in fall 1988. It participated in the Aeroplan rewards program until June 30, 2018 (the airline merged with Perimeter Aviation on December 31, 2017). Since then, Bearskin Airlines is part of Perimeter Aviation's frequent flyer program, Connecting Rewards. [19] [20]

Accidents and incidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Midwest</span> US regional airline (1965–2008) bought by Mesa

Air Midwest, Inc., was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier that operated under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States, and from 1991 was a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. Besides initially flying as an independent air carrier, it later operated code sharing feeder flights on behalf of Eastern Air Lines as Eastern Air Midwest Express, on behalf of American Airlines as American Eagle, on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA) as Trans World Express and on behalf of US Airways as US Airways Express. It also operated feeder flights on behalf of Braniff (1983–1990) and Ozark Air Lines in addition to flying for Mesa Airlines. Air Midwest was shut down by its parent company, Mesa Airlines, in June 2008.

Cortez Municipal Airport is three miles southwest of Cortez, in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It has passenger service from one airline: Key Lime Air DBA Denver Air Connection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Region of Waterloo International Airport</span> International airport serving the Regional Municipality of Waterloo

Region of Waterloo International Airport or Kitchener/Waterloo Airport is an international airport serving the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Woolwich, Ontario, Canada, west of Toronto. It has year round daily flights to Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, Orlando, Halifax, Fort Lauderdale and Kelowna through Flair Airlines and WestJet. It also has seasonal flights to Cancún through Sunwing Airlines and Flair Airlines. In 2022, the airport ranked seventh-busiest in Canada by total aircraft movements and twentieth-busiest by passenger traffic.

Air Ontario Inc. was a Canadian regional airline with its predecessor initially headquartered in Sarnia and later in London, Ontario. In 2002, Air Ontario became Air Canada Jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Airways</span> Defunct airline of Canada (1934–1987)

Austin Airways was a passenger airline and freight carrier based in Timmins, Ontario, and one of the oldest in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Nebraska Regional Airport</span> Airport in Nebraska

Central Nebraska Regional Airport is three miles northeast of Grand Island, in Hall County, Nebraska. It is owned by the Hall County Airport Authority. The airport sees two airlines, Allegiant Air which flies independently and American Eagle which is subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service program. In 2016 the airport had 68,879 passenger boardings (enplanements), a 6.6% increase from the 64,602 enplanements in 2015. The airport had 7,961 enplanements in calendar year 2008, 20,136 in 2009 and 37,101 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Corners Regional Airport</span> Airport in Farmington, New Mexico, USA

Four Corners Regional Airport is in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States, in the city of Farmington, which owns it. It is a Class D towered general aviation airport with no commercial passenger services, but has chartered flight services, flight instruction, and a full-service fixed-base operator]] (FBO). It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a regional general aviation facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Page Municipal Airport</span> Airport in Coconino County, Arizona

Page Municipal Airport is a public use airport 1 mile east of Page, in Coconino County, Arizona. The airport has scheduled passenger service subsidized by the U.S. Federal Government's Essential Air Service program as well as regular sightseeing flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuma International Airport</span> Airport in Arizona, United States

Yuma International Airport is a joint use airport with civilian and military flight activity operated in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps via the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The airfield is located 3.5 miles south of the central business district of Yuma, a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States, and 150 miles east of San Diego International Airport. It is mostly used for military aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline and one aeromedical Medevac company as well as being used for general aviation activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft 1900</span> Commuter airliner and light transport aircraft

The Beechcraft 1900 is a U.S made twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring larger regional jets, then-owner Raytheon ended production in October 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Air</span> Canadian airline

Northwestern Air is an airline based in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to seven destinations in two territories/provinces, as well as undertaking ad hoc charters and long-term charter contracts for various corporations throughout Canada and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner</span> Small airliner and executive aircraft family by Swearingen, later Fairchild

The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San Antonio, Texas.

NorOntair, stylized as norOntair, was a Canadian regional airline operating in northern Ontario from October 18, 1971 to March 29, 1996. It was as a subsidiary of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), a provincial Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, with the stated goal of creating east-west links across northern Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sioux Lookout Airport</span> Canadian airport

Sioux Lookout Airport is a regional airport based in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. The airport opened in 1933. It was, at the time, the second busiest airport in North America next to Chicago Midway International Airport. Today, the airport is a "mini-hub" facilitating travel to and from many northern communities in Northwestern Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernal Regional Airport</span> Airport

Vernal Regional Airport is a mile southeast of Vernal, in Uintah County, Utah. It is owned by the city and county and sees one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britt Airways</span> Defunct regional airline of the United States (1964–1996)

Britt Airways was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 1964 until it merged with ExpressJet in 1996. It was established as Vercoa Air Service in 1964 and renamed to Britt Airlines when it was purchased by William and Marilyn Britt in 1975 later on Britt Airways. It was based in Terre Haute, Indiana until 1996. It began as a commuter airline. It primarily operated turboprop aircraft but also flew British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twinjets as an independent air carrier at one point as well. The airline evolved into a regional air carrier operating code share flights primarily for Continental Airlines.

Air Oregon was an airline based in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded as Executive Flight Services in 1961 in Portland; it was renamed to Air Oregon in 1977. In June 1982, Air Oregon was acquired by and merged into Horizon Air which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group which in turn is also the corporate parent of Alaska Airlines. Air Oregon operated scheduled passenger service in the Pacific Northwest and northern California, and also served Boise, Idaho and Reno, Nevada.

Wings West Airlines was an American regional airline headquartered at McChesney Field (SBP), unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, California. The airline initially began scheduled passenger service as an independent commuter air carrier and then subsequently became an American Eagle affiliate of American Airlines operating turboprop aircraft on code sharing flights on behalf of American.

Pem-air from was an aviation company based out of the Pembroke Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearskin Airlines Flight 311</span> 2013 aviation accident in Canada

On 10 November 2013, a Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III operating as Bearskin Airlines Flight 311, a regional flight in Ontario, Canada, from Sioux Lookout Airport to Red Lake Airport, crashed just 800 meters from the runway of its destination airport killing five of the seven people on board. The cause of the accident was determined to be an engine failure, exacerbated by errors made by the crew, who were unable to identify the issue.

References

  1. 1 2 "ICAO Designators for Canadian Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services" (PDF). Nav Canada. May 4, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved February 24, 2023. Bearskin Lake Air Service: BLS, BEARSKIN
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bradshaw, Stacy (September 29, 2009). "Bullish About the Bear". Wings Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ Transport Canada (August 30, 2019), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
  4. ↑ "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Perimeter Aviation". Transport Canada . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Route Map" . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Exchange Income Corporation Subsidiaries - Perimeter Aviation" . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . March 27, 2007. p. 84.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Bearskin Airlines, Bear Country: Special 45th Anniversary Issue, 2008, ISBN D702544
  10. ↑ "Bearskin Airlines to start Toronto-Ottawa service". CBC News . August 14, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Bearskin greatly enhances Northern Ontario schedule". Sudbury.com. March 20, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Bearskin drops flights to Ottawa, K-W". Northern Ontario Business. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  13. ↑ Kelly, Brian. "Bearskin trims Sault service". Sault Star. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Bearskin Airlines cancels all trips between Waterloo Region and Ottawa". CBC News. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Bearskin Airlines Terminates Service to Ottawa and Kitchener/Waterloo" (Press release). Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada: Bearskin Airlines. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  16. ↑ CTV Kitchener (March 25, 2014). "Bearskin Airlines ending service from Waterloo Region to Ottawa". CTV News. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Commercial Airlines". Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Aircraft". Bearskin Airlines. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ Team, Rewards Canada (April 19, 2018). "April 19 Update: Bearskin Airlines leaving Aeroplan, Flair Airlines expanding domestic service, lots of new bonuses". Rewards Canada. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  20. ↑ https://5abe1488a536b7d66554-40ebbf4e472cfd77f5021bc42c60f8a3.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/rsm7iafatras0byvm76jvtsridd1py-optimized-pub.pdf Connecting Horizons Summer 2018 The in-flight magazine of Bearskin Airlines and Perimeter Aviation Page 43
  21. ↑ Report Number A95H0008
  22. ↑ "Record 19971204-0" at Aviation Safety Net
  23. ↑ Crash: Bearskin SW4 at Red Lake on Nov 10th 2013, impacted ground on final approach at The Aviation Herald
  24. ↑ "Record 20131110-0" at Aviation Safety Net
  25. ↑ "Aviation Investigation A13C0150 Bearskin Airlines flight 311". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. November 22, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Engine power loss blamed for 2013 Bearskin crash". Northern Ontario Business. April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  27. ↑ "'Slip of attention' to checklist likely contributed to 2020 Dryden small-plane crash: TSB". CBC news. April 14, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.