List of airlines of British Columbia

Last updated

This is a list of airlines of British Columbia which have an air operator's certificate issued by Transport Canada, the country's civil aviation authority. These are airlines that are based in British Columbia.

Contents

Current airlines

AirlineImage IATA ICAO Callsign Hub airport(s) or
headquarters
Notes
Cascadia AirCBFBIGFOOTCampbell River Scheduled Service, Air Taxi and charter
Central Mountain Air CentralMountainAir-Dornier-328-YVR.jpg 9MGLRGLACIER Smithers Regional, charters [1]
CHC Helicopter CHC Helicopter Scotia Eurocopter AS-332L2 Super Puma Mk2.jpg HMBHUMMINGBIRD Vancouver International Airport, Richmond Helicopter charters, flight training [2]
Cloud Air Lake Muskoka/Mortimer's Point Floatplane, scheduled passenger service, charters, flight training [3]
Corilair Campbell River Charters and scheduled floatplane [4]
Flair Airlines C-FLEN Flair Airlines B737 400.jpg F8FLEFLAIR Kelowna Ultra-low-cost-carrier
Harbour Air Seaplanes C-FAXI DHC.2 Beaver Harbour Air YVR 15APR10 (4524696638).jpg H3HESHARBOUR EXPRESS Vancouver Harbour Scheduled passenger service, charters [5]
Helijet HeliJet S76 landing at Vancouver Harbour.jpg JBJBAHELIJET Vancouver Scheduled passenger service, charters [6]
KF Cargo C-FKFZ Cv.580 Kelowna Flightcraft YVR 27AUG00 (6794838487).jpg KWKFAFLIGHTCRAFT Kelowna Scheduled passenger service, cargo Charter airline. Along with Canadian Helicopters, Atlantis Systems International and Canadian Base Operators operates KF Defence Programs. [7] [8] [9]
Northern Thunderbird Air Beechcraft 1900D Northern Thunderbird.JPG NTATHUNDERBIRD Prince George Scheduled passenger service, charters [10]
Ocean Air Floatplanes [11] Pat Bay Air C185.jpg Victoria Water Floatplane charters. [12] Purchased Pat Bay Air in March 2015 and was fully integrated.
Pacific Coastal Airlines Pacific Coastal Airlines Short 360-300 C-GPCF in CYVR.jpg 8PPCOPASCO Vancouver Scheduled passenger service, charters [13]
Salt Spring Air Find saltspring air.jpg 101SALTSPRING Ganges Floatplane, scheduled passenger service, charters [14]
Seair Seaplanes Seair Seaplanes.jpg SS1SEAIR Vancouver Water Floatplane, scheduled passenger service, charters [15]
Tofino Air Tofino Air Cessna 180.JPG 25TOFINO AIR Tofino Harbour Scheduled passenger service, charters [16]
Vancouver Island Air Campbell River Seaplane, scheduled passenger service, charters [17]
VIH Helicopters Bell 222 in Prince Rupert (175135072).jpg Saanich, British Columbia Charters, MEDIVAC (air ambulance), aerial firefighting [18] Example colours only; aircraft now different type. [19]
West Coast Air West Coast Air De Havilland Canada DHC-6-100 Twin Otter C-FGQH 2 (8027526497).jpg 8OYWZCOAST AIR Vancouver Harbour Floatplanes, scheduled passenger service, charters [20]

Defunct airlines

AirlineImage IATA ICAO Callsign Hub airport(s) or
headquarters
Notes
Air BC Air BC 146-200.jpg Vancouver 1980 - 2002
To Air Canada Jazz
Air Southwest Chilliwack 1983 - 2005
Airspeed Aviation Abbotsford 1986 - 2009
Sold to Orca Airways
Baxter Aviation Baxter Aviation Beaver 2006 Ben W Bell.jpg 6B Nanaimo Harbour 1985 - 2007
Sold to West Coast Air
BCWest Air Abbotsford 2007 - 2008
Ended in October 2008 due to unresolved shareholder dispute
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Boeing 747-217B C-FCRA CP TOR 270775 edited-2.jpg CPCPCEMPRESS Vancouver 1942 - 1987
Also known as CP Air, to Canadian Airlines International, the callsign is still used by Canadian North
Harmony Airways Harmony Airways Jet.jpg HQHMYHARMONY Vancouver 2002 - 2007
Hawkair C-FCJE landing in Vancouver.jpg BHBHAHAWKAIR Terrace and Kitimat 1994 - 2016
On November 18, 2016, Hawkair declared bankruptcy, had all assets seized for liquidation, and permanently suspended operations. [21]
Island Express Air C-GMDL PA-31 Island Express Air flight to Victoria from Abbotsford on Aug. 12, 2013.jpg 1XIAXABBY AIR Abbotsford 2009-2020
Demise due to COVID-19 pandemic [22]
KD Air KD Air GXEY.jpg XCKDCKAY DEE Vancouver Ceased operations in 2019
Kootenay Direct Airlines Nelson Ceased operating in 2009
Orca Airways C-GPAP Pa.31-350W Navajo Chieftain Orca Air YVR 21JUL13 (9339147668).jpg ORORKORCA Vancouver Suspended by Transport Canada in 2018
Pacific Western Airlines CF-PWH DC-3 Pacific Western YVR 15NOV66 (5550494571).jpg PAPWA Vancouver 1946 - 1987
To Canadian Airlines
Powell Air Powell Air Convair 440-62.jpg PWLPOWELL AIR Powell River 1975 - 1987
Merged with Air BC to form Pacific Coastal Airlines
Queen Charlotte Airlines Emerging professions- travel (8347827095).jpg Vancouver Water 1946 - 1955
Sold to Pacific Western Airlines
Sonicblue Airways VL Vancouver 1982 - 2006
Trans-Provincial Airlines Prince Rupert ? - 1993
Sold to Harbour Air
Western Express Airlines C-FVQE Fairchild F.27F West-Ex Cargo YVR 06SEP02 (8274703138).jpg Vancouver 1994 - 2006

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Island</span> Largest island in British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is 456 km (283 mi) in length, 100 km (62 mi) in width at its widest point, and 32,100 km2 (12,400 sq mi) in total area, while 31,285 km2 (12,079 sq mi) are of land. The island is the largest by area and the most populous along the west coasts of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver International Airport</span> Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) from Downtown Vancouver. Vancouver International Airport is the second busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, behind Toronto Pearson International Airport. As a trans-Pacific hub, the airport has more direct flights to China than any other airport in North America or Europe. It is a hub for Air Canada and WestJet. Vancouver International Airport is one of eight Canadian airports that have US Border Pre-clearance facilities. It is also one of the few major international airports to have a terminal for scheduled float planes.

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

Tofino Air is a small Canadian airline offering floatplane service from Tofino, British Columbia. It offers scheduled services, scenic tours, and specialized charters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Mountain Air</span> Canadian regional airline

Central Mountain Air Ltd. is a Canadian regional airline based in Smithers, British Columbia. It operates scheduled, charter, and transborder services. Its main base is Smithers Airport, with other bases at Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Field</span> Public airport in Seattle, Washington, United States

Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport, is a public airport owned and operated by King County, five miles south of downtown Seattle, Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA, but it is not the airport identifier. The airport has scheduled passenger service operated by Kenmore Air, a commuter air carrier, and was being served by JSX with regional jet flights. It is also a hub for UPS Airlines. It is also used by other cargo airlines and general aviation aircraft. The airfield is named for founder of Boeing, William E. Boeing, and was constructed in 1928, serving as the city's primary airport until the opening of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in 1944. The airport's property is mostly in Seattle just south of Georgetown, with its southern tip extending into Tukwila. The airport covers 634 acres (257 ha), averages more than 180,000 operations annually, and has approximately 380 based aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria International Airport</span> Airport in British Columbia, Canada

Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is 12 nautical miles north northwest of Victoria on the Saanich Peninsula, with the bulk of the airport in North Saanich, and a small portion of the airfield extending into Sidney. The airport is run by the Victoria Airport Authority. YYJ has many nonstop daily flights to Vancouver International Airport, which is a major airport serving many global routes. Additionally, Victoria International has nonstop service to Seattle (SEA), Toronto (YYZ), Montreal, Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), and several smaller cities in British Columbia and Yukon. The airport also has seasonal nonstop service to several Mexican resort destinations. Non-stop service between Victoria and the United States decreased by 50% at the beginning of September 2019 when Delta Airlines permanently ended its three daily flights to Seattle, after which only Alaska Airlines continued to fly the route.

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

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbour Air</span> Floatplane airline in British Columbia, Canada

Harbour Air Seaplanes is a scheduled floatplane service, tour and charter airline based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The predominantly seaplane airline specializes in routes between Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Sechelt, Comox, Whistler and the Gulf Islands, primarily with de Havilland Canada floatplanes. Harbour Air operates de Havilland Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbotsford International Airport</span> Airport in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Abbotsford International Airport is located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, 2.2 nautical miles southwest of the city centre. It is the second largest airport in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, after Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and is in close proximity to British Columbia Highway 1, and the US border. It is located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) from downtown Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport Canada</span> Canadian agency that regulates transportation

Transport Canada is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities (TIC) portfolio. The current Minister of Transport is Pablo Rodriguez. Transport Canada is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawkair</span> Canadian regional airline

Hawkair was a regional airline based in Terrace, British Columbia, Canada. It operated scheduled and charter regional passenger services in British Columbia and Alberta. Its main base was Northwest Regional Airport with a hub at Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenmore Air</span> Airline of the United States

Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, United States, north of Seattle. It operates scheduled and charter seaplane and landplane service to destinations throughout western Washington and southwestern British Columbia, as well as seaplane "flightseeing" flights around Seattle. In addition to its corporate headquarters, seaplane maintenance facility and terminal in Kenmore, the airline has hub operations for seaplanes at its terminal on Seattle's Lake Union and for land planes at Seattle's Boeing Field/King County International Airport. It also operates a maintenance facility for its landplane fleet at Boeing Field.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Thunderbird Air</span> Canadian charter airline and medevac service

Northern Thunderbird Air Inc or NT Air is a Canadian charter airline and medevac service based in Prince George, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)</span> Port in Canada

Victoria Harbour is a harbour, seaport, and seaplane airport in the Canadian city of Victoria, British Columbia. It serves as a cruise ship and ferry destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island. It is both a port of entry and an airport of entry for general aviation. Historically it was a shipbuilding and commercial fishing centre. While the Inner Harbour is fully within the City of Victoria, separating the city's downtown on its east side from the Victoria West neighbourhood, the Upper Harbour serves as the boundary between the City of Victoria and the district municipality of Esquimalt. The inner reaches are also bordered by the district of Saanich and the town of View Royal. Victoria is a federal "public harbour" as defined by Transport Canada. Several port facilities in the harbour are overseen and developed by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, however the harbour master's position is with Transport Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Spring Air</span>

Salt Spring Air part of Harbour Air Seaplanes, was a floatplane company based on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada. It operates scheduled flights, charter air service and tours based in Ganges in Harbour Air Seaplanes livery with the Salt Spring Air name on the side of the aircraft and specializes in routes between the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. Along with West Coast Air, Harbour Air and Seair Seaplanes, Salt Spring Air is one of the four airlines that operate in the Vancouver Harbour Water Airport and Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre. Scheduled flights by the company also operate between the Gulf Islands and the Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Bay Air</span>

Pat Bay Air was a charter float plane and airline flying from the Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome in Patricia Bay near the Victoria International Airport on Widgeon Drive in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada, where its headquarters was located. Pat Bay Air was one of only two seaplane companies to be based out of the historic Patricia Bay Seaplane Base; the other is Ocean Air Floatplanes. The seaplane base has been in continuous operation since the Second World War. Pat Bay Air Ltd. was purchased by Sandpiper Air Seaplanes Ltd. in 2013. Sandpiper Air Seaplanes Ltd. officially ceased operations in Alberta and BC in March 2016.

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

Island Express Air was a small Canadian airline based in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Its first flight was on August 7, 2009, as part of the Abbotsford International Airshow. It operated scheduled air service between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, as well as charter flights and cargo service. On February 23, 2018, one of their planes, a King Air B100, crashed at Abbotsford Airport (CYXX) immediately after take-off in blizzard conditions. As a result of this accident, and due to public safety concerns, Transport Canada suspended Island Express' air operator's certificate (AOC) shortly thereafter, on February 28, 2018. However, following a robust review of the company's safety procedures the operating certificate was reinstated on June 26, 2018. The company slogan was Your Island Connection.

References

  1. Central Mountain Air About Us Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
  2. CHC Helicopter About Us Archived 2010-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Cloud Air". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  4. Corilair
  5. "Harbour Air". Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  6. Helijet
  7. KF Defence Programs - Participants
  8. Canadian Helicopters
  9. KF Aerospace - Flight Operations
  10. Northern Thunderbird Air
  11. Ocean Air Floatplanes
  12. Ocean Air Floatplanes
  13. Pacific Coastal Airlines
  14. Salt Spring Air
  15. Seair Seaplanes
  16. Tofino Air
  17. Vancouver Island Air
  18. VIH Helicopters Archived 2012-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: History Search Result
  20. "West Coast Air". Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  21. "Northwestern B.C. airline company declares bankruptcy - News". www.terracestandard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
  22. Briones, Michael. "COVID-19: New air carrier sought for Qualicum Beach Airport". Vancouver Island Free Daily. Retrieved 26 September 2020.