Canada’s Iskwew Air launches scheduled services

Iskwew Air (Vancouver Int’l) – Canada’s only indigenous female-founded airline – launches its first scheduled service on August 16 with four weekly non-stop flights between Vancouver Int’l and Qualicum on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Services will operate with Iskwew Air’s own eight-seater Piper (twin piston) PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, C-GPAK (msn 31-8052070), based at Richmond, BC, chief executive Teara Fraser confirmed to ch-aviation. A second Piper Chieftain, C-FSWN (msn 31-7952182) owned by Island Air Express (I4, Craig) and acquired in June, would be added to the schedule soon, she said.

The airline, in a statement, announced its first scheduled operation was made possible thanks to a grant from the British Columbia Tourism Indigenous Recovery Fund. Through it, Indigenous Tourism British Columbia and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport have made CAD5 million Canadian dollars (USD3.9 million) in grants available to help 140 indigenous tourism businesses (such as Iskwew Air) recover from COVID-19.

Iskwew Air (the word Iskwew means “woman” in Cree) was founded in 2018 by Fraser. “We have been working towards this for a long time,” she said in a statement, noting that there had been no scheduled service at Qualicum Beach Airport since April 2020. She said there was “overwhelming interest” from the community. “Residents voiced their support and how important air service is for travel, tourism, connecting family, and getting to medical appointments.”

Iskwew Air to date has been operating charter services to smaller communities in Canada’s North.

In March, Iskwew Air established its own Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) lead by Alisha Sohpaul.