First Air
| First Air | |
|---|---|
|
|
| IATA code : | 7F |
| ICAO code : | FAB |
| Call sign : | FIRST AIR |
| Founding: | 1946 |
| Seat: |
Ottawa ( Canada )
 |
| Turnstile : | |
| Management: | Scott Bateman |
| Frequent Flyer Program : | Airplane |
| Fleet size: | 19th |
| Aims: | National |
| Website: | firstair.ca |
First Air is a Canadian airline owned by the Inuit of Nunavik , based in Ottawa and bases at airports Yellowknife and Iqaluit .
history
The company was founded in 1946 under the name Bradley Air Services . Between 1954 and 1956, four Cessna 180 small aircraft were used in the Northwest Territories for charter flights and as part of the establishment of the Distant Early Warning Line . In 1958 a regular flight operation was established to support the oil and mineral search companies. From 1968, further projects followed to explore the Arctic with the help of the First Air fleet, which was expanded accordingly with aircraft of the type DHC-2 Beaver and DHC-3 Otter . In 1971 the northernmost base for commercial flights was established in Eureka (approx. 1000 km from the North Pole). The first Twin Otters were used here, two DC-3s in 1972 .
Scheduled flights as First Air began in 1973 between Ottawa and North Bay or Sudbury . In the same year the main base in Resolute Bay was established. In 1975 the Iqaluit base followed . In 1986 First Air acquired the Boeing 727-100 C for cargo and passengers. In 1990 the company was taken over by Makivik , the Inuit organization of Nunavik . Between 1987 and 1994 First Air took over the entire transport for the DEW project between Alaska and Greenland; two Hawker Siddeley 748s and two Twin Otters were procured for this.
First Air acquired Ptarmigan Airways in 1995 and Northwest Territorial Airways in 1997 and partnered with Air Canada . Through these transactions, First Air received two Boeing 737s and one Lockheed L-100 Hercules .
First Air has had a code- sharing agreement with Canadian North and Calm Air since 2015 .
Destinations
Today First Air operates scheduled flights to 29 locations in Nunavut , Northwest Territories , Manitoba , Alberta , Yukon , Quebec and Ontario .
fleet
As of July 31, 2019, First Air's fleet consisted of 18 aircraft with an average age of 26.9 years. According to the Canadian Aviation Register, the company owns 17 aircraft (as of August 2020).
- 5 ATR 42-300 (can be converted to cargo aircraft if necessary)
- 2 ATR 42-320
- 6 ATR 42-500
- 1 Boeing 737-406
- 3 Boeing 737-436
- 1 BAe Avro RJ (leased)
Incidents
- On August 12, 1996, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter ( aircraft registration number C-GNDN ) crashed while landing on a runway near Markham Bay , Canada. Both crew members were killed. The investigation came to the conclusion that the crew decided to take off late and that this led to the accident. The triple touchdown on the runway, which is only 209 meters long, probably contributed to the decision (see also First Air Flight 64 ) .
- On August 20, 2011, a Boeing 737-200 crashed on First Air Flight 6560 , en route from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay in the Canadian Arctic, shortly before landing. Of 11 passengers and four crew members on board, 12 were killed. In January 2012, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board classified the incident in a preliminary report as controlled flight into terrain . The exact cause of the accident was probably a problem with the calibration of the compasses on board and a communication problem between the two pilots. The accident is shown in the Mayday cockpit alarm episode: First Air Flight 6560 (Season 12, Episode 7).
- On March 31, 2014, a First Air Boeing 737-200 (C-GNDE) on flight 7F-955 from Rankin Inlet to Iqaluit in Canada with 23 people on board went off course. At flight level 330 (33,000 feet / approx. 10,000 meters above sea level), another flight informed the crew via radio that air traffic control (ATC) had tried to reach them. The crew then determined that they had deviated greatly from the intended course 225 nautical miles northwest of Iqaluit . The plane turned south and landed safely in Iqaluit about 35 minutes later.
Web links
- First Air website (Inuktitutisch, English, French)
Individual evidence
- ^ First Air Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net. July 31, 2019, accessed on August 12, 2020 .
- ^ Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. Transport Canada , accessed on August 12, 2020 (enter the name of the company in the search mask under "Owners Name").
- ↑ huffingtonpost.ca - Plane From Yellowknife To Resolute Bay Crashes In Far North, 12 Dead (English) August 20, 2011.
- ↑ Stephen Trimble: First Air 737 crash now ruled a controlled flight into terrain. In: flightglobal.com. January 6, 2012, accessed January 9, 2012 .
- ↑ Simon Hradecky: Incident: First Air B732 enroute on Mar 31st 2014, odyssey over Canada. In: avherald.com. April 4, 2014, accessed April 7, 2014 .
