West Wind Aviation
![]() | |||||||
| |||||||
Founded | 1983 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AOC # | 12604[2] | ||||||
Hubs | Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International Airport | ||||||
Focus cities | Regina, Prince Albert | ||||||
Fleet size | 15[3] | ||||||
Destinations | Saskatoon, Regina | ||||||
Headquarters | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | ||||||
Key people | Michael Rodyniuk (President & CEO) | ||||||
Website | http://www.westwindaviation.ca http://www.expressairclub.ca |
West Wind Aviation Limited Partnership is a Saskatchewan based airline.
Destinations
Under its ExpressAir banner, West Wind formerly offed scheduled service between Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. Service in northern Saskatchewan and Nunavut were provided under the Pronto Airways banner. Its main commercial rival was Prince Albert-based Transwest Air which became a subsidiary of West Wind Aviation July 1, 2016 and all scheduled flights are operated by Transwest.
Fleet
As of August 2019 West Wind Aviation had the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada.[3]
Aircraft | Number | Variants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
ATR 42 | 5 | 300 series, 320 series | 44/46 passengers. |
Beechcraft 1900 | 4 | 1900C, 1900D | 19 passengers, and is versatile enough to land on gravel and pavement airstrips |
Beechcraft Super King Air | 4 | 200 series | 8 passengers, MEDIVAC capable. |
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 2 | 200 series, 300 series | 19 passengers. 200 series not listed at West Wind site |
In addition the Transport Canada site lists a Cessna 414 and three Cessna 401s (one Cessna 401 and two Cessna 401B) with cancelled certificates.[3]
Aviation services
West Wind operates fixed-base operations at the Saskatoon and Regina airports under Shell Canada's AeroCentre franchise.[4] Under the International Air Services brand, West Wind provides airport terminal services to charter and international airlines at the Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg airports.[5] In addition, under the Lancaster Fuel brand, the company provides aviation fuel to smaller airports and private operators in the province.[6]
Accidents
- West Wind Aviation Flight 280, an ATR42 aircraft crashed with 22 passengers and 3 crew on board at Fond-du-Lac, approximately 1 km from the airport, immediately after taking off from the airport, on December 13, 2017. The aircraft was destroyed but everyone on board initially survived, 1 passenger died of his injuries 12 days later.[7]
Repercussions
On December 22, 2017 West Wind Aviation's air operator certificate was suspended by Transport Canada. Transport Canada cited the reason in a news release stating that the airline has deficiencies in its safety management system. Transport Canada also mentioned that the airline lost its Operator Certificate in the interest of public safety. "In the interest of public safety, Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate and will not allow the company to resume its commercial air service until it demonstrates compliance with aviation safety regulations".[8]
Transport Canada reinstated West Wind's license to operate May 8, 2018. Operations have since resumed.[9]
References
- ^ Transport Canada - Air Traffic Designators - TP 143 (PDF) Archived March 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Template:TCAOC2019-08-28
- ^ a b c "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for West Wind Aviation". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^ "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- ^ "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- ^ "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- ^ "All 25 passengers on crashed Fond-du-Lac flight 'accounted for' but some require air ambulance, RCMP say". cbc.ca. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Canada, Transport. "Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate - Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ Canada, Transport. "Transport Canada reinstates West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate - Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)