Bearskin Airlines
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| Founded | July 17, 1963 | |||
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| Hubs | Sioux Lookout Airport, Thunder Bay International Airport | |||
| Focus cities | Sudbury Airport | |||
| Frequent-flyer program | Aeroplan | |||
| Fleet size | 14[1]/18[2] | |||
| Destinations | 19[3] | |||
| Parent company | Exchange Income Corporation | |||
| Headquarters | Sioux Lookout, Ontario | |||
| Key people | John Hegland, Founder | |||
| Website | www.bearskinairlines.com | |||
Bearskin Lake Air Services Ltd., trading as Bearskin Airlines, is a regional airline based in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. It operates services in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Its main bases are Sioux Lookout Airport (YXL) and Thunder Bay International Airport (YQT), with a hub at Greater Sudbury Airport (YSB).[4]
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[edit] History
The airline was established in 1963 by bush pilot Otto John Hegland and started operations in July 1963 from its base at Big Trout Lake, Ontario (but was named after Bearskin Lake where Hegland had a general store). It started out 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, they began their first regular scheduled flights between Big Trout Lake and Sioux Lookout.[5]
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. Therefore in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Bearskin made the transition of bush planes to wheeled commuter planes.[5]
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. Three years later, it expanded operations to destinations in northern Manitoba. In 2003, it sold their routes and assets servicing northern First Nations communities to Wasaya Airways. This marked as a break with their bush flying background to focus on becoming a regional carrier.[5]
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), but in 2010 it was sold to Exchange Industrial Corporation (EIC) for $32 million. EIC also owns Calm Air, Perimeter Aviation, and Keewatin Air. Bearskin has 240 employees.[4]
[edit] Destinations
Bearskin Airlines operates services to the following Canadian domestic scheduled destinations (as of November 26, 2011):[3]
- Ontario
- Dryden (Dryden Regional Airport)
- Fort Frances (Fort Frances Municipal Airport)
- Kapuskasing (Kapuskasing Airport)
- Kenora (Kenora Airport)
- North Bay (North Bay/Jack Garland Airport)
- Ottawa (Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport)
- Red Lake (Red Lake Airport)
- Sault Ste. Marie (Sault Ste. Marie Airport)
- Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport)
- Sudbury (Sudbury Airport)
- Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport)
- Timmins (Timmins/Victor M. Power Airport)
- Kitchener/Waterloo (Region of Waterloo International Airport)
[edit] Routes
| Leaving From: | Going To: |
|---|---|
| Dryden | Kenora, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Fort Frances, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg |
| Flin Flon | Lynn Lake, The Pas, Winnipeg |
| Fort Frances | Kenora, Dryden, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg |
| Kapuskasing | North Bay, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins |
| Kenora | Dryden, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg |
| Kitchener/Waterloo | Ottawa, Montreal |
| Lynn Lake | Flinn Flon, The Pas, Winnipeg |
| Montreal | Ottawa, Sudbury, Kitchener/Waterloo |
| North Bay | Kapuskasing, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins |
| Ottawa | Kapuskasing, Montreal, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Waterloo |
| Red Lake | Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg |
| Sault Ste. Marie | Kapuskasing, North Bay, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins |
| Sioux Lookout | Dryden, Kenora, Red Lake, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg |
| Sudbury | Kapuskasing, Montreal, North Bay, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Timmins |
| The Pas | Flin Flon, Lynn Lake, Winnipeg |
| Thunder Bay | Dryden, Fort Francis, Kapuskasing, Kenora, North Bay, Ottawa, Red Lake, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Sudbury, Timmins, Winnipeg |
| Timmins | Kapuskasing, North Bay, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay |
| Winnipeg | Dryden, Flin Flon, Fort Francis, Kenora, Lynn Lake, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, The Pas, Thunder Bay |
As of September 19, 2010 Bearskin launched a five time/day service from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo to Ottawa with a 5-trip return each day as well.
[edit] Fleet
The Bearskin Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of June 2011):[1][2]
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft (BLS list)[1] |
No. of Aircraft (TC list)[2] |
Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft King Air 100 | 0 | 1 | GKAJ | |
| Cessna 180 | 0 | 1 | GQVR | |
| Cessna 185 | 0 | 1 | GFVY | |
| Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner | 14 | 14 | FMAC, FFZN, FXUS, FYAG, FYWG, GAFQ, GJVB, GJVC, GJVH, GYHD, GYQT, GYRL, GYTL, GYXL | |
| Piper Aztec | 0 | 1 | GEHY |
A Saab 340 belonging to, and operated by Calm Air, is being used by Bearskin for some flights. Bearskin hopes to have a second Saab in operation by the fall of 2011.[1]
[edit] Previously operated
Bearskin Airlines has flown the following aircraft in the past:[5]
- Beechcraft 18
- Beechcraft 99
- Beechcraft King Air 100 (still owned but leased out)
- Cessna 180
- Cessna 185
- de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
- de Havilland DHC-3 Otter
- Noorduyn Norseman
- Pilatus PC-12
- Piper Aztec
- Piper Navajo and Navajo Chieftain
[edit] Affinity Programs
The airline offers Aeroplan rewards points, both to collect and to redeem.
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- May 1, 1995: Flight 362, a Swearingen Metroliner, collided with an Air Sandy Piper Navajo Chieftain while on approach to Sioux Lookout Airport, destroying both aircraft and killing all persons on both aircraft, a total of 8 dead.[6]
- December 4, 1997: Flight 310, a Beechcraft 99 hit the runway at Webequie Airport when it descended too fast. No injuries were reported.[7]
- January 29, 2003: A Beechcraft 99 climbed and entered a turn, but the captain had trouble seeing the artificial horizon. The first officer called that the aircraft was in a 2000 feet per minute descent. He then took control, but was not fast enough to prevent the aircraft from striking a frozen lake and bouncing back into the air. Believing that both propellers were damaged, he then crash landed on the lake. No fatalities were reported.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Bearskin Airlines aircraft
- ^ a b c Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Bearskin Airlines" (enter Bearskin in the box titled "Owner Name")
- ^ a b Reservations
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 84. 2007-03-27.
- ^ a b c d Bearskin Airlines, Bear Country: Special 45th Anniversary Issue, 2008, ISBN D702544
- ^ Report Number A95H0008
- ^ "Record 19971204-0" at Aviation Safety Net
- ^ "Record 20030129-0" at Aviation Safety Net
[edit] External links
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