Canada’s PAL secures essential First Nation route contract
PAL Airlines (Canada) (PB, St. John’s) has been awarded a contract by the Canadian government to continue providing specialised turboprop air charter services on behalf of the Department of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), facilitating essential air travel to First Nations communities across Canada.
In a statement, PAL and its parent, aerospace and aviation investment firm Exchange Income Corporation (EIC), announced the contract was a continuation of services the airline had delivered on behalf of the government since the early stages of the pandemic. The ISC is responsible for policies relating to indigenous people in Canada. Its mandate includes working with partners to improve access to services for the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.
“We have been proud to build this service in partnership with ISC over the course of the last year. Our organisation has established and carefully managed a complex nationwide network of service providers focused on meeting ISC’s critical needs, facilitating vital health care, and infrastructure support for communities across Canada. We’re excited to carry that work forward under this new contract,” commented PAL president, Calvin Ash.
“Since our founding, EIC has invested in building the most comprehensive, adaptable, and reliable regional network in Canada to ensure we’re able to continue our operations in even the most adverse circumstances,” added EIC chief executive respect Mike Pyle. “Through our airline operations, EIC has become a part of the community fabric in the fly-in First Nations destinations we serve across Canada. As a result of that established presence, we understand first-hand the vital services ISC health care providers deliver every day. It’s been immensely gratifying for everyone at EIC to be able to leverage our expertise in support of ISC and the communities we serve during these challenging times, and we look forward to continuing this important work,” he said.
Established 40 years ago, PAL is a niche regional airline with primary fixed-wing bases in St. John’s and Goose Bay, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Nova Scotia. It provides passenger, charter, freight, and air ambulance services to communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.
Its current all-turbo-prop fleet comprises 15 aircraft, including four DHC-8-100s, four DHC-8-300s, three DHC-8-Q300s (one leased from Castlelake), and four DHC-8-Q400s (of which it leases one from Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna)), the ch-aviation fleets advanced module reveals.
As reported, EIC last week added Carson Air (CRN, Kelowna) to its portfolio at a purchase price of CAD61 million (USD48.9 million). Carson Air has a long history of being the primary air ambulance provider in British Columbia.
Other fixed-wing subsidiaries include regional scheduled and charter carrier, Bearskin Airlines (JV, Sioux Lookout) based in Ontario; niche carrier Calm Air (MO, Thompson) which serves the northern part of Central Canada; Keewatin Air, a niche operator focused on medevac and charter services to locations in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and northern Manitoba; Perimeter Aviation (PAG, Winnipeg Int’l), a regional airline that also provides medevac, passenger, and cargo services to locations in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario; and Regional One, a distributor of regional aircraft, engines, and aftermarket parts located in Miami, Florida.