West Wind Aviation

West Wind Aviation
IATA ICAO Callsign
— WEW[1] WESTWIND
Founded 1983
Hubs Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International Airport
Focus cities Regina, Prince Albert
Fleet size 20[2]
Destinations Saskatoon, Regina
Company slogan We Take Care. For You.
Headquarters Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Key people

Patrick Campling Jr. (President)

Dennis Baranieski (Vice President)
Website

http://www.westwindaviation.ca

http://www.expressairclub.ca
West Wind Aviation's ATR-42 with current paint scheme

West Wind Aviation Limited Partnership is Saskatchewan's second-largest commercial aviation group with a fleet of 31 aircraft.

Destinations

West Wind hangar in Regina
Main Buildings for West Wind Aviation in Saskatoon.

Under its ExpressAir banner, West Wind offers 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.

Fleet

As of May 2018 West Wind Aviation had the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada.[2]

West Wind Aviation
AircraftNumberVariantsNotes
ATR 425300 series, 320 series44/46 passengers.
Beechcraft Super King Air4200 series8 passengers, MEDIVAC capable.
Beechcraft 1900 airliner61900C, 1900D19 passengers, and is versatile enough to land on gravel and pavement airstrips.
British Aerospace Jetstream2Model 3112Also listed as BAe Jetstream 31. 11, 15 or 19 passengers.
Cessna 4141n/a5 passengers.
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter2200 series, 300 series19 passengers.

In addition the Transport Canada site lists three Cessna 401s (one Cessna 401 and two Cessna 401B and one British Aerospace Jetstream with cancelled certificates.[2]

Aviation services

West Wind operates fixed-base operations at the Saskatoon and Regina airports under Shell Canada's AeroCentre franchise.[5] Under the International Air Services brand, West Wind provides airport terminal services to charter and international airlines at the Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg airports.[6] In addition, under the Lancaster Fuel brand, the company provides aviation fuel to smaller airports and private operators in the province.[7]

Accidents

  • West Wind Aviation Flight 280, an ATR42 aircraft crashed with 22 passengers and 3 crews on board at Fond-du-Lac, approximately 1 km from the airport, immediately after taking off from the airport, on Dec 13, 2017. The aircraft was destroyed but everyone on board initially survived, 1 passenger died of his injuries 12 days later.[8]

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"

The TSB reinstated WestWind's license to operate May 8, 2018. Operations have since resumed.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Transport Canada - Air Traffic Designators - TP 143 (PDF) Archived March 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 3 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for West Wind Aviation". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  3. ↑ Transwest Air flights connect Saskatoon and Regina - perfect for the business traveler.
  4. ↑ Service Map
  5. ↑ "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  6. ↑ "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  7. ↑ "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ Canada, Transport. "Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate - Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
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