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Commenced operations | October 3, 1927 | ||||||
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AOC # | GCNA035A [1] | ||||||
Subsidiaries |
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Fleet size | 21 | ||||||
Destinations | 4 | ||||||
Headquarters | Tusayan, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||
Key people |
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Employees | 600 | ||||||
Website | grandcanyonairlines |
Grand Canyon Airlines is a 14 CFR Part 135 air carrier headquartered on the grounds of Boulder City Municipal Airport in Boulder City, Nevada, United States. It also has bases at Grand Canyon National Park Airport and Page Municipal Airport, both in Arizona. [2] It operates sightseeing tours and charter service over and around the Grand Canyon. Its headquarters and main operation center is Grand Canyon National Park Airport and Boulder City Municipal Airport. [3]
The airline was started in 1927 as Scenic Airways by J. Parker Van Zandt at Grand Canyon, Arizona with a Stinson SM-1 Detroiter and Ford Trimotor aircraft. On February 23, 1929, the opening day of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Scenic Airways dropped a wooden key on the roof of the hotel's ballroom. The key is on display above the fireplace of the Biltmore History Room. [4]
Scenic Airways changed its name to Grand Canyon Airlines in 1930, and Grand Canyon Airlines is believed[ according to whom? ] to be the world's oldest air tour company in continuous operations.
Grand Canyon Airlines introduced commercial airline service to Boulder City Airport (predecessor to the contemporary airport) on June 15, 1936. [5]
Two Grand Canyon Airlines pilots were the first to spot the wreckage left by the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, between United and TWA aircraft. Pilots Henry and Palin Hudgen had been flying a scheduled service around the area at the time. [6]
On March 29, 2007, Scenic Airlines was sold to Grand Canyon Airlines and was subsequently renamed Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines. The airline continued to operate from the Boulder City airport providing services to Grand Canyon West, Grand Canyon, Page, Arizona, Monument Valley, Utah, and Rainbow Bridge, Utah. At that time, Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines continued to operate sightseeing flight services to the Grand Canyon every day of the year.
On March 19, 2009, Grand Canyon Airlines moved its operations at the Boulder City airport into the company's new Boulder City Aerocenter, a 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) terminal. [7]
In October 2019, the airline was owned by Elling Halvorson and had 600 employees. [3] [ citation needed ]
City | Airport | IATA Code | Destinations | Notes |
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Grand Canyon West | Grand Canyon West Airport | GCW | Boulder City | |
Grand Canyon South | Grand Canyon National Park Airport | GCN | ||
Page | Page Municipal Airport | PGA | ||
Phoenix | Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | PHX | Safford | [8] |
Safford | Safford Regional Airport | SAD | Phoenix Sky Harbor | [9] |
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Boulder City | Boulder City Municipal Airport | BLD | Grand Canyon West | |
Grand Canyon South | ||||
Page |
As of May 2020 [update] the Grand Canyon Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft: [10]
Aircraft | In service |
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De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter [11] | 13 |
Cessna 208B Caravan [12] | 8 |
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil-military public international airport 3 mi east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport; among the largest commercial airports in the United States, PHX was the 8th-busiest airport in the United States and 22nd-busiest in the world in 2021. The airport serves as a hub for American Airlines and a base for Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Loganair is a Scottish regional airline headquartered at Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The airline primarily operates domestic flights within the United Kingdom. It is the largest regional airline in Scotland by passenger numbers and fleet size.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking Air purchased the type certificate and restarted production in 2008, before re-adopting the DHC name in 2022. In 2023 DHC restarted production of the 300 series, in addition to the Series 400 produced by Viking.
Golden West Airlines was a commuter airline that operated flights on a high volume schedule in California. It ceased operations in 1983.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. Variants were built with 50–54 seats. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing in 1986 and later sold to Bombardier. In 2006 Bombardier sold the type certificate for the aircraft design to Victoria-based manufacturer Viking Air.
Austin Airways was a passenger airline and freight carrier based in Timmins, Ontario, and one of the oldest in Canada.
McClellan–Palomar Airport is a public airport three miles southeast of Carlsbad in San Diego County, California. It is owned by the County of San Diego. The airport is used for both general and commercial aviation. As of March 2013, the airport was the fourth-busiest single runway airport in the United States.
Cheyenne Regional Airport – also known as Jerry Olson Field – is a civil-military airport a mile north of downtown Cheyenne, in Laramie County, Wyoming. It is owned by the Cheyenne Regional Airport Board.
Air Vegas was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of the North Las Vegas Air Terminal in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It operated sightseeing flights from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Prior to moving to the North Las Vegas Airport its main bases were McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas and Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Las Vegas. Rankings published in 1991 and 1994 placed the airline in the top 50 regional/commuter airlines in the United States by passenger enplanements.
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.
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is 5 miles south of Flagstaff, in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The airport is serviced by American Eagle, and is also used for general aviation. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a "primary commercial service" airport. It is the closest airport to Grand Canyon National Park with scheduled passenger service from a major airline.
Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport is a county-owned, public airport one mile southwest of Gunnison, in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Also known as Gunnison County Airport, it serves the valley and nearby Crested Butte, Colorado, with airline and general aviation flights.
Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States. It is near Grand Canyon National Park, 1 mile from the South Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon. The airport is primarily used for scenic tours and charter flights.
Nantucket Memorial Airport is a public airport on the south side of the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the Town of Nantucket and is located three miles (5 km) southeast of the town center. It is the second-busiest airport in the state, after Logan International Airport, due to intense corporate travel to and from the island in the high season.
Safford Regional Airport is in Safford, Graham County, Arizona, United States, 3 miles east of downtown Safford; the airport is owned by the Safford municipal government. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorizes it as a general aviation facility. It is the only paved airport in Graham County.
Boulder City Municipal Airport is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) southwest of the central business district of Boulder City, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. In operation since 1990, it is owned by Boulder City Municipality.
The Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred in the western United States on June 30, 1956, when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. The first plane fell into the canyon while the other slammed into a rock face. All 128 on board both airplanes perished, making it the first commercial airline incident to exceed one hundred fatalities. The airplanes had departed Los Angeles International Airport minutes apart from each other and headed for Chicago and Kansas City, respectively. The collision took place in uncontrolled airspace, where it was the pilots' responsibility to maintain separation. This highlighted the antiquated state of air traffic control, which became the focus of major aviation reforms.
Cochise Airlines was a commuter airline which was founded in 1971 in Tucson, Arizona. It operated until the early 1980s. Cochise linked small cities in Arizona with Phoenix, Arizona and Tucson, Arizona and also served southern California and New Mexico at one point.
Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines is an American regional airline based in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It operates sightseeing flights from Boulder City Municipal Airport in Boulder City, Nevada. Scenic has been owned by Grand Canyon Airlines since 2008.
The Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred when Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, collided with a Bell 206 helicopter, Helitech Flight 2, over Grand Canyon National Park on June 18, 1986. All 25 passengers and crew on board the two aircraft were killed. It remains the deadliest accident involving a helicopter on United States soil, surpassing the crash of Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 in 1968, which killed 23 people.