Keewatin Air

Keewatin Air

IATA FK ICAO - Callsign -
Founded	1998
Operating bases	Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
Secondary hubs	Churchill Airport, Rankin Inlet Airport
Fleet size	15[1]
Destinations	10[2]
Parent company	Keewatin Air
Headquarters	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Website	http://www.kivalliqair.com

Keewatin Air (IATA: FK) is an airline that operates out of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada. The airline was started by Frank Robert May (formerly a pilot for Lamb Air) and his wife Judy Saxby in 1972, in the Keewatin Region, then part of the Northwest Territories.^[3]

Formed as "Keewatin Air Lifeline" they originally provided charter services to the region. In 1987 they expanded to include MEDEVAC ("medical evacuation") services, to what would become the Kivalliq Region, using a fleet of 3 Beechcraft King Air 200 aircraft. The MEDEVAC service is known as "Nunavut Lifeline" and they currently keep two aircraft in Rankin Inlet and one in Churchill, Manitoba.^[4]

In 1998 the company formed Kivalliq Air to provide scheduled air service within the Kivalliq Region and to Winnipeg and Churchill.^[5]

In 2005 the company was sold to Exchange Industrial Income Fund, owners of Perimeter Aviation, with May and Saxby continuing to manage the airline.^[6]

Destinations

As Kivalliq Air they offer scheduled passenger and cargo services six days a week throughout the Kivalliq Region, with connections to Churchill and Winnipeg. Charter services are also available to destinations throughout North America.^[2]

As of April 2011, Kivalliq Air operates scheduled domestic services to the following destinations:^[2]

• Manitoba
  • Churchill (Churchill Airport)
  • Winnipeg (Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport)

• Nunavut
  • Arviat (Arviat Airport)
  • Baker Lake (Baker Lake Airport)
  • Chesterfield Inlet (Chesterfield Inlet Airport)
  • Coral Harbour (Coral Harbour Airport)
  • Rankin Inlet (Rankin Inlet Airport)
  • Repulse Bay (Repulse Bay Airport)
  • Sanikiluaq (Sanikiluaq Airport)
  • Whale Cove (Whale Cove Airport)

Fleet

As of April 2011 the following 15 aircraft are registered with Transport Canada:^[1]

Keewatin Air Fleet

Aircraft	No. of Aircraft	Variants	Idents	Notes
Beechcraft 1900	2	1900C	FJXL, FJXO	Scheduled flights,[7] air charter[8]
Beechcraft Super King Air	8	King Air 200/B200	FCGT, FRMV, FSKN, FSKO, FSKX, FZPW, GYGT, GYSR	Scheduled flights,[7] MEDIVAC (air ambulance as Nunavut Lifeline),[9] air charter[8]
Beechcraft Model 18	1	3NM	FBCF
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter	1	300 series	FZPQ
Bombardier Learjet 35	2	35A	GDJH, GYFB	MEDIVAC (air ambulance as Nunavut Lifeline)[9]
Pilatus PC-12	1	PC-12/45	GFLA	MEDIVAC (air ambulance as Nunavut Lifeline)[9] air charter[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by Keewatin Air
2. ^ ^{a b c} Kivalliq Air Schedule
3. ^ May Family History
4. ^ Nunavut Lifeline
5. ^ Kivalliq Air
6. ^ CBC News - Keewatin Air sold to southern interests
7. ^ ^{a b} Passenger Travel
8. ^ ^{a b c} Charters
9. ^ ^{a b c} Nunavut Lifeline - Medical Program

External links

• Keewatin Air official site