Bearskin set to introduce new aircraft

Effective May 1, Bearskin Airlines will introduce a new aircraft type to its route network within Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
A Saab 340 aircraft operated by Calm Air of Thompson, Man. in Bearskin Airlines livery will provide service between Winnipeg, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, and Thunder Bay.
The 34-seat Saab 340 is equipped with twin turbine engines, stand-up cabin, and a lavatory.
This pressurized aircraft will offer enhanced comfort and similar speed to Bearskin’s current equipment type, the 19-passenger Fairchild Metroliner.
The Saab 340 will be used within Bearskin Airlines’ existing route network on flights where demand has grown to warrant an increase in capacity.
Upon successful integration of this new aircraft type into Bearskin’s system, a second aircraft will be introduced as early as this fall.
Bearskin Airlines plans to have its own crews operating and maintaining this equipment type once granted authority from Transport Canada.
Also on May 1, Bearskin Airlines will commence non-stop scheduled service between The Region of Waterloo International Airport and Montreal Trudeau International Airport.
Montreal will become Bearskin Airlines’ 18th city served and its second non-stop destination from The Region of Waterloo International Airport.
Utilizing the 19-passenger Fairchild Metroliner, five round-trip flights will be offered each business day, including three non-stop flights and two flights offering same aircraft service via Ottawa.
Weekend service also will be available.
Once support for the Montreal-Waterloo service has been demonstrated, and as additional equipment comes online, service via Ottawa will be terminated as early as this fall in favour of all non-stop Fairchild Metroliner service.
The Region of Waterloo International Airport is located along the Highway 401 corridor and serves the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph.
Bearskin Airlines has served The Region of Waterloo International Airport since October, 2007 when three flights daily were launched from Ottawa.
This service has since increased to five flights each business day.
“We’re excited to be moving into the next chapter for Bearskin Airlines,” said company president Harvey Friesen.
“The Saab 340 offers enhanced comfort for many loyal customers who have supported our Northwestern Ontario company since 1963,” he added.
Founded in 1963, Bearskin Airlines is named after the Northern Ontario community of Bearskin Lake.
No other airline offers more scheduled service linking Northern Ontario’s five largest cities and many of its smaller communities to Winnipeg in the west and Ottawa in the east.
Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Winnipeg serve as hubs for Bearskin Airlines, facilitating connections between Bearskin flights and to Canada’s major airlines.
Although Bearskin’s roots are in Ontario’s far north, its current routes are more southern in nature.
The airline also has evolved to serve the business community offering high-frequency service on thin routes in small cities and in niche markets.