North Star Air
North Star Air is a Canadian charter, passenger and cargo airline headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario,[4] with secondary passenger hub in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and cargo hubs located in Pickle Lake, Red Lake, Kapuskasing, Ontario and Thompson, Manitoba. The majority of destinations served are remote First Nations communities, with regular service to 18 airports under "Flex Flight Passenger Service",[3] and other regional destinations under an on-demand basis. Founded in 1997 as a float plane operator with two DHC-2 Beaver aircraft based in Pickle Lake, the airline has grown over the years and came under new ownership in 2012. In 2015 Cargo North and North Star Air merged under the North Star banner.
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AOC # | 11025[1] | ||||||
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Hubs | Thunder Bay International Airport, Pickle Lake Airport, Red Lake Airport, Thompson Airport, Kapuskasing Airport | ||||||
Secondary hubs | Sioux Lookout Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 14[2] | ||||||
Destinations | 18[3] | ||||||
Parent company | The North West Company | ||||||
Headquarters | Thunder Bay, Ontario | ||||||
Key people | Frank Kelner | ||||||
Website | www.northstarair.ca |
On April 28, 2017, it was announced that North Star Air was to be purchased by The North West Company for a sum of $31 million.[5]
Destinations
- Flex Flight Passenger Services
As of 2019 North Star Air flies to the following destinations:[3]
- Bearskin Lake First Nation (Bearskin Lake Airport)
- Cat Lake First Nation (Cat Lake Airport)
- Deer Lake First Nation (Deer Lake Airport)
- Eabametoong First Nation (Fort Hope Airport)
- Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake) (Big Trout Lake Airport)
- Muskrat Dam Lake First Nation (Muskrat Dam Airport)
- Neskantaga First Nation (Lansdowne House) (Lansdowne House Airport)
- North Caribou Lake First Nation (Round Lake (Weagamow Lake) Airport)
- North Spirit Lake First Nation (North Spirit Lake Airport)
- Marten Falls First Nation (Ogoki Post) (Ogoki Post Airport)
- Pikangikum First Nation (Pikangikum Airport)
- Poplar Hill First Nation (Poplar Hill Airport)
- Red Lake (Red Lake Airport)
- Sachigo Lake First Nation (Sachigo Lake Airport)
- Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport)
- Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport)
- Wapekeka First Nation (Angling Lake/Wapekeka Airport)
- Webequie First Nation (Webequie Airport)
Fleet
As of September 2019 North Star Air had the following 14 aircraft registered with Transport Canada.[2]
Aircraft | Number | Variants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
ATR 72 | 3 | ATR 72-212A | |
Douglas DC-3 | 3 | Basler BT-67 | 19 passenger-combi / freight - based in Pickle Lake Airport |
Pilatus PC-12 | 8 | PC-12/45 PC-12/47 PC-12/47E | 9 passenger / freight - based in Thunder Bay International Airport |
The Transport Canada list also includes a Pilatus PC-12 with a cancelled certificate.[6]
Accidents and incidents
- A North Star Basler BT-67 (modified DC-3), registration C-FKAL performing a flight from Red Lake,ON to Sachigo Lake,ON (Canada) with 2 crew on board, was on approach to Sachigo Lake at about 09:35L (15:35Z) when the aircraft contacted trees and impacted ground amidst a forest. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage.[7]
References
- Transport Canada (2019-09-02), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
- "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for North Star Air". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- Route Map and Schedules
- Contact Us - Charter.Passenger.Cargo
- North West Company spends $31M to buy its own airline
- Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details
- https://avherald.com/h?article=4d025953&opt=1024