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Founded | Okanagan Helicopters (1947) | ||||||
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Commenced operations | St. John's, Newfoundland (1987) | ||||||
AOC # | Nova Scotia: 18373 [1] Quebec: 11988 [2] | ||||||
Operating bases | AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NT, NS, NU, QC, YK | ||||||
Fleet size | 112 (110 & 2) [3] | ||||||
Headquarters | Les Cèdres, Quebec, Canada | ||||||
Website | www |
Canadian Helicopters Limited, formerly a part of the Canadian operations of CHC Helicopter Corporation, operates 112 aircraft from 26 bases across Canada and provides a broad range of helicopter services to support the following activities: emergency medical evacuation; infrastructure maintenance; utilities; oil and gas; forestry; mining; construction; and air transportation. Canadian Helicopters Limited also operates an advanced flight school; provides third party repair and maintenance services; and provides helicopter services in the United States in support of specialty operations including forest fire suppression activities and geophysical exploration programs.
Commercial helicopter flying began in British Columbia in the summer of 1947. Three former Royal Canadian Air Force officers, pilots Carl Agar and Barney Bent, and engineer Alf Stringer, were operating a fixed-wing charter company, Okanagan Air Services Ltd., out of Penticton. In July 1947 they raised enough money to purchase a Bell 47-B3 and pay for their flying and maintenance training.
Okanagan Air Services moved to Vancouver in 1949, was renamed Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. and, by 1954, had become the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world.
Toronto Helicopters was founded by Len Routledge and Douglas Dunlop. It was a pioneer in air ambulance services in Ontario and operated helicopters for the Ontario Ministry of Health. [4] [5] [6]
Sealand Helicopters was founded by Newfoundland businessman Craig Dobbin in February 1977.
In 1987, Dobbin headed a group that purchased Okanagan Helicopters and Toronto Helicopters and merged them with his own company, Sealand Helicopters to form Canadian Helicopters. [7]
Until November 2000, Canadian Helicopters was the domestic operating arm of Canadian Helicopters International, a wholly owned subsidiary of CHC Helicopter Corporation. In 2000, Canadian Helicopters was divested by way of a management buy-out. The company continued operations as Canadian Helicopters until it was renamed HNZ Group Inc. after acquiring that company. In December 2017, the company was taken private as Canadian Helicopters Limited. [8]
As of September 2019, Canadian Helicopters Limited has two air operator's certificates. The first, 18373, is Canadian Helicopters Limited - Hélicoptères Canadiens Limitée trading as Canadian Helicopters Offshore in Enfield, Nova Scotia with two helicopters in Goffs (Halifax Stanfield International Airport). [1] [9] [10] The second, 11988, is used for the rest of the fleet in Les Cèdres, Quebec. [2] [3]
The following are bases in Canada: [11]
Canadian Helicopters Limited operates the following heliports: [12]
As of September 2019, Canadian Helicopters Limited has the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada: [3]
Aircraft | No. of aircraft | Variants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (Aerospatiale AS350) | 38 | AS350 B2, AS350 B3 | Single engine |
Aerospatiale AS 355 | 8 | AS 355-N | Twin engine, listed at Canadian Helicopters as an Airbus |
Bell 206 | 10 | 206B, LongRanger | Single engine |
Bell 212 | 8 | 212 | Twin engine |
Bell 407 | 5 | 407 | Single engine |
Bell 412 | 1 | 412EP | Twin engine |
Eurocopter EC120 | 4 | EC120B Colibri | Single engine, listed at Canadian Helicopters as an Airbus |
Sikorsky S-61 | 3 | S-61N | Twin engine |
Sikorsky S-76 | 4 | S-76A++, S-76C+, S-76D | Twin engine |
The aircraft are listed by Transport Canada as being registered to Canadian Helicopters Limited - Hélicoptères Canadiens Limitée registered in Quebec. [3] [9] [10]
The Transport Canada list also shows an Aerospatiale AS350D, [13] an Aerospatiale AS 355F1, [14] a Bell 212, [15] a Bell 206B, [16] a Robinson R22 BETA, [17] and two Sikorsky S-76A [18] [19] all with cancelled certificates.
Helijet International is a helicopter airline and charter service based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Its scheduled passenger helicopter airline services operates flights from heliports at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), downtown Vancouver, downtown Nanaimo and downtown Victoria. It also operates a charter division serving the film, television, aerial tour, industrial and general charter markets, as well as helicopter and jet air ambulance services. Its head office and main hangar is Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
Les Investissements Nolinor Inc., trading as Nolinor Aviation, is a charter airline based in Mirabel, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It operates passenger charter and cargo services within Canada and to the U.S. Its main base is Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. It has 200 employees.
Air Nunavut, trading as Smooth Air, is an airline based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. It is the only local and Inuit-owned air carrier in the eastern Arctic, operating MEDEVAC and charter services throughout Canada's Arctic, northern Quebec and Greenland. Its main base is Iqaluit Airport.
PAL Airlines is a Canadian regional airline with headquarters at St. John's International Airport in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. PAL operates scheduled passenger, cargo, air ambulance and charter services. PAL is the commercial airline arm of the PAL Group of Companies. In addition to its head office, it also has bases in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Montreal, Quebec. PAL is the second largest regional airline operator in Eastern Canada next to Jazz Aviation.
Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter trading as KF Cargo and Kelowna Flightcraft trading as KF Maintenance and Engineering is a cargo airline based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It operates long term cargo charters for couriers and freight companies, forest fire patrols, and aircraft sales and leasing in Canada and worldwide. It also provides maintenance and aircraft manufacturing services.
Calm Air International LP. is a full service airline, offering passenger, charter and freight services in northern Manitoba and the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. It is owned by Exchange Income Corporation with its main base in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Universal Helicopters was a commercial helicopter company located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. While operating primarily in Newfoundland and Labrador with operations sometimes extending into the Ungava Peninsula and the Arctic, Universal Helicopters held an International Operating Certificate and completed several contracts in Greenland.
Rise Air is a scheduled and charter airline primarily serving the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Its headquarters and main base was at Prince Albert.
Voyageur Aviation operating as Voyageur Airways Limited is an airline based in North Bay, Ontario, Canada that commenced operations in 1968. Along with air charters it also repairs and maintains aircraft, and provides an air ambulance service. It provides ground handling, fuel services and terminal services at the North Bay/Jack Garland Airport. It provides chartered aircraft to the United Nations and NATO, for operations in places such as Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ivory Coast and Sudan. These aircraft include Bombardier Dash 8 turboprops as well as Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets.
Summit Air is a Canadian airline headquartered in Yellowknife that operates scheduled, charter and cargo aviation throughout the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. Summit Air is a member of the Ledcor Group of Companies and operates in partnership with several other companies and communities including the Haisla Nation, Air Baffin, the Det'on Cho Corporation, and businesses in the Kitikmeot Region.
North Cariboo Air or North Cariboo Flying Services is an airline based in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. It operates charter flights primarily for the oil and gas industry, as well as executive and general charter services, including sports teams and leisure groups both within and outside Canada. North Cariboo Air has a fleet of 18 aircraft registered with Transport Canada. These aircraft range in size from 9-100 seats, allowing for accommodating and adaptation of all project sizes. In addition NCFS offers private terminals in Calgary, Edmonton, Fort St. John, Vancouver and Prince George. The airline also offers cargo services, aerodrome management and fixed-base operator services.
9736140 Canada Inc., doing business as Pascan Aviation, is a regional airline based in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. Based at Montreal Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport in the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueuil. Pascan operates scheduled flights within Quebec, Ontario and Labrador as well as charter services. Its main base is Montreal Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport and it runs a fixed-base operator at the airport.
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Propair Inc. is a charter airline with its headquarters and main base at the Rouyn-Noranda Airport in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. It operates charter and medevac flights and had a secondary base at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, but it closed in July 2018.
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