Air North

Air North
IATA ICAO Callsign
4N ANT AIR NORTH
Founded 1977
Hubs Whitehorse International Airport
Focus cities Vancouver, Dawson City
Frequent-flyer program None
Fleet size 13,[1] 10[2]
Destinations 12[3]
Company slogan Air North, Yukon's Airline
Parent company Joe Sparling
Headquarters Whitehorse, Yukon
Key people Joseph Sparling (CEO and President]]
Website flyairnorth.com

Air North Charter and Training Ltd., operating as Air North, Yukon's Airline is a Canadian airline based in Whitehorse, Yukon. It operates scheduled passenger and cargo flights throughout Yukon, as well as between Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. The airline also operates charter flights throughout Canada and Alaska. The airline also provides ground handling services and fuel services to other airlines throughout the Yukon, and it also provides ground handling services at Vancouver International Airport and Edmonton International Airport. Its main base is Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.[4] Air North is also a sponsor of many festivals in Yukon, and BC, a notable example would be the Atlin Arts & Music Festival, in which Air North donates $10,000 each year.

History

The airline was established by Joe Sparling and Tom Woods, and started flight training and general purpose charter operations in 1977 with a single Cessna 206. Throughout the 1980s the company steadily grew and acquired several more aircraft including Douglas DC-3s, a Douglas DC-4, and a variety of Cessnas, de Havillands and other aircraft. Also during the 1980s Air North began offering scheduled passenger and cargo service in addition to charter services. During the 1990s the fleet of piston-powered aircraft were replaced with more modern and reliable turboprop aircraft, and by 2000 the fleet consisted of one Beechcraft Model 99 and three Hawker Siddeley 748 Series 2As.

The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation of Old Crow also began investing in Air North around this time, and with help from this investment Air North acquired a pair of Boeing 737-200 jets in 2002. These jets allowed Air North to begin competing with the mainline carriers between Yukon and Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. These routes proved to be successful and since then Kelowna, Yellowknife, Ottawa and Victoria have also been added to Air North's route map. Since Air North began scheduled jet service on Yukon-South routes passenger traffic at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport has doubled, and in 2014 nearly 60% of those passengers flew with Air North.

The Beech 99 was sold in 2005, a fourth Hawker Siddeley 748 acquired in 2006, and in 2008 a Boeing 737-200 combi was acquired, with its large main deck cargo door and moveable bulkhead allowing all-cargo as well as mixed cargo/passenger operations with the 737. Soon after a gravel kit was also installed on the 737 Combi, allowing the aircraft to operate on the airline's northern routes and expand charter capabilities.

Starting in 2010 a new fleet expansion and modernization plan was put into action, beginning with a larger B737-400 and a winglet equipped B737-500. In 2012 a fifth HS748 (a pure freighter equipped with the large freight door) and a second 737-500 were acquired. 2014 saw the arrival of the third 737-500 sporting an updated livery, and a fourth 737-500 was put into service in 2016. In spring of 2017 two ATR 42 aircraft were introduced on the northern routes, bringing an end to the world's last scheduled passenger HS-748 service. Three of the five HS-748s are still in service for charter work and freight hauling however.

With the newer aircraft in service the non-gravel equipped 737-200s and two of the five HS-748 have been retired and are now used for spare parts and staff training.[5]

Since the arrival of the Boeing 737s, the main Air North base in Whitehorse has steadily expanded. It now includes the original hangar which is now used as a cargo warehouse and ground equipment shop, two aircraft maintenance hangars, a reservations and administration building, an operations centre, an in-house catering and cabin services department, and a fueling facility. Air North also operates secondary bases in Vancouver, B.C., Edmonton, Alberta, and Dawson City, Yukon.

In conjunction with North of Ordinary Media, Air North launched its inflight magazine, Yukon, North of Ordinary[6] in February 2007. Yukon, North of Ordinary is published quarterly with a press run of 20,000. It is available in-flight, via subscriptions, and in bookstores across Canada. The magazine is owned and operated by North of Ordinary Media of Carcross, Yukon.

Also in the mid-2000s Air North opened its own flight kitchen in Whitehorse, and offers a complimentary light meal made fresh daily, followed by a complimentary dessert such as cheese cake or fresh cookies. Yukon products are featured when possible, and often include Midnight Sun coffee and Yukon Brewing beer. Over the years Air North has won several awards for its outstanding customer service, and Air North was recently named "the 2nd most loved airline in the world" by Fortune Magazine.

Currently the mainstay of Air North's work is scheduled passenger and cargo flights between Whitehorse and Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Ottawa, Dawson City, Old Crow, Mayo and Inuvik. Air North also runs regular freight trips and fuel-haul flights to the fly-in only community of Old Crow, Yukon. In addition to scheduled routes, Air North is also involved in a variety of charter work and they offer passenger, combi, cargo and fuel-haul charter services to anywhere in North America with both the HS-748s and Boeing 737s. Regular charter customers include mine operators, oil companies, cruise ship tour operators, fishing lodges, sports teams, and many others. The remainder of Air North's revenue comes from ground handling services at Whitehorse, Dawson City, Old Crow, Edmonton and Vancouver Airports, as well as Jet-A refuelling services at Whitehorse. Air North is currently main provider of Jet-A fuel service in Whitehorse and is also the ground handler for Condor Airlines and WestJet Airlines in Whitehorse, as well as American Airlines, United Airlines, Aeromexico, and others in Vancouver.

Air North is now owned by Joseph Sparling (51%) (President, CEO, and Boeing 737 Captain) and the Vuntut Development Corporation (49%), an arm of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. Air North is one of the largest private sector employers in Yukon. As of 2015 Air North has over 500 employees and more than 1,200 Class C & D shareholders. During profitable years Air North regularly offers employees a profit sharing, and also recently offered each and every Yukoner a $50 travel voucher as a thank you for supporting Air North.

Destinations

Air North Boeing 737-200C
Air North Hawker Siddeley HS 748

Scheduled flights

As of June 2018, Air North provides scheduled service to the following destinations.[3]

Inaugural Air North Flight Arriving At Victoria From Whitehorse

Charter flights

In addition to scheduled flights, Air North offers passenger, freight and combi charter services throughout Yukon and across North America. Both the HS-748s and 737s are regularly chartered for mining, forestry, sports teams, fishing lodges, cruise tours, and a variety of other customers.[7]

Air North provides seasonal vacation flights to:

Air North provides Seasonal Fishing Charters from Vancouver International Airport to:

Air North provides Seasonal Cruise Ship Charters from Dawson City Airport to:

Fleet

Current fleet

As of September 2018 the Air North fleet consists of the following aircraft:[1][2]

Air North Fleet
AircraftNo. of aircraft
ANT list[1]		No. of aircraft
TC list[2]		PassengersNotes
ATR 42 30022Typically 34 on combi, 42 on passengerGravel runway certified, two are combi versions, while the third is a full passenger model.
Boeing 737 200C11Up to 125Combi aircraft with large freight door and gravel runway equipped.
Boeing 737 Classic 40011156
Boeing 737 Classic 50044122Two are fitted with winglets.
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 Series 2A52Up to 40Three still in service, two are used for spare parts and training. Two are Combi certified, which can be configured for 40 passengers, up to 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) of cargo, or virtually any combination of the two. The third is a pure freighter and has the large freight door in the rear fuselage. Two can be also be configured to haul fuel. All are certified for gravel runways.

Historic fleet

Aircraft previously operated include:[8]

Air North operated Single Engine Propliners
Cessna 150
Cessna 172
Cessna 185
Cessna 206
Cessna 206
Cessna Skymaster
de Havilland Beaver
de Havilland Otter
Fairchild F-11 Husky
Air North operated Multi Engine Propliners
Beechcraft Model 18
Beechcraft Queen Air
Beechcraft Model 99
Britten-Norman Islander
de Havilland Caribou
Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-4
Air North operated Jetliners
Boeing 737-200Adv

Livery

Tail and winglets of an Air North 737-500

Air North's aircraft are primary painted white except for the lettering on the fuselage, wings and vertical stabilizer, although different aircraft types feature slightly different liveries.

On the fuselage, the words "Air North" and "Yukon's Airline" are painted, although the positioning varies by aircraft type. In addition, on aircraft without winglets, "flyairnorth.com" is painted somewhere on the fuselage. On the Hawker Siddeley HS 748, the bottom is left unpainted with a orange stripe at the convergence of the painted and unpainted areas.

The tail is painted orange with a stylized "Yukon" printed in white. On the ATR 42-300 and 737-400/-500, the orange is extended below onto the fuselage.

On aircraft with winglets, the outside is designed like the tail, with a orange background and the stylized "Yukon" printed on it. On the inside, "flyairnorth.com" is printed, removing the need for it to be painted on the fuselage.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 20 September 1987, Piper PA-31 Navajo C-GPAC crashed on a flight from Whitehorse to Juneau, Alaska killing all five on board. The plane crashed into a glacier at 4,500 ft (1,400 m).[9]
  • On 19 August 1995, Douglas C-47B C-GZOF crashed on approach to Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, British Columbia killing one of the three crew. The aircraft was on a ferry flight to Prince Rupert Airport when the starboard propeller went into overspeed and the decision was made to return to Vancouver International.[10]
  • On 14 August 1996, Douglas DC-4 C-FGNI crashed shortly after takeoff from Bronson Creek mine in Northern B.C. with three crew and a full load of cargo on board. On climbout #2 engine caught fire and eventually separated from the aircraft. The crew attempted to bring the aircraft back to land, however the aircraft couldn't maintain altitude on three engines and the crew instead landed in the creek about 1.2 nautical miles (2.2 km; 1.4 mi) from the airstrip, where all three crew were able to escape the wreckage. The first officer and load master swam to shore, but unfortunately the captain was never found and presumed to have drowned.[11]

Yukon, North of Ordinary

Yukon, North of Ordinary
Editor Tara McCarthy
Categories People, History, Culture, Outdoors, & Travel
Frequency Four issues a year
Year founded 2007
Company North of Ordinary Media
Country Canada
Language English
Website http://www.northofordinary.com]]
ISSN 1911-5571

Yukon, North of Ordinary (YNoO) is a quarterly arts, travel, and culture magazine in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The magazine was first published in February 2007.[12]

Yukon, North of Ordinary is a full-colour magazine about the Yukon Territory. Its goal is to share everything about the Yukon with those both inside and outside of the territory.[13] Published by North of Ordinary Media, Inc. (formerly Harper Street Publishing Inc.), Yukon, North of Ordinary is a quarterly magazine and features stories about the Yukon's people, culture, history and the unique challenges of Northern life.[14][15][16]

It is also the official inflight magazine for Air North, Yukon's Airline.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Our Fleet". "Air North".
  2. 1 2 3 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Air North". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  3. 1 2 Where We Fly
  4. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 64.
  5. ↑ Air North Experience | Corporate Information
  6. ↑ Yukon, North of Ordinary
  7. ↑ FAQs Where can I charter from / to?
  8. ↑ Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: History Search Result for Air North
  9. ↑ "C-GPAC accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Accident description for C-GZOF at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2012-05-09.
  11. ↑ Accident description for C-FGNI at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2012-05-09.
  12. ↑ "Yukon, North of Ordinary". Beakingoff. 10 March 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Yukon, North of Ordinary". Retrieved 2015-09-25.
  14. ↑ "Yukon, North of Ordinary". Fly Air North. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Yukon, North of Ordinary." Yukon, North of Ordinary. Harper Street Publishing. Web. 2 June 2015. <http://www.northofordinary.com/>.
  16. ↑ "Yukon, North of Ordinary Magazine, Spring 2015 - Nicolas Dory Photography." Nicolas Dory Photography. 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 2 June 2015. <http://www.nicolasdory.com/yukon-north-of-ordinary-magazine-spring-2015/>.
  17. ↑ "Yukon, North of Ordinary." Archived July 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. 2 June 2015

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