First Air
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First Air is an airline based in Carp, Ontario, Canada. It operates services to 24 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik and the Northwest Territories. It also charters its fleet worldwide through brokers, freight forwarders and alliances with other carriers. Its main base is Ottawa International Airport, with hubs at Iqaluit Airport and Yellowknife Airport and a maintenance facility at the Ottawa/Carp Airport. First Air is unusual in that it is one of the few international airlines that does not have a designated ICAO call sign.
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History
The airline was founded and started operations as Bradley Air Services in 1946. First Air first started flying in 1973, between Ottawa and North Bay, Ontario. This flight was operated with an eight seat passenger plane. Eventually, the airline would have hubs at Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Kuujjuaq also. At Kuujjuaq, the airline provided vital services to the Inuit community, covering 16 Inuit communities with its partnership with Air Inuit. In 1995 First Air bought Ptarmigan Airways, and in 1997 it bought Northwest Territorial Airways, both of which were merged into First Air.
First Air is wholly owned by the Inuit people of Quebec through the Makivik Corporation.
Services
First Air operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at March 2006): Cambridge Bay, Cape Dorset, Clyde River, Edmonton, Fort Simpson, Gjoa Haven, Hall Beach, Hay River, Ulukhaktok, Igloolik, Inuvik, Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Kugaaruk, Kugluktuk, Kuujjuaq, Montreal, Nanisivik, Ottawa, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Qikiqtarjuaq, Rankin Inlet, Resolute, Talaoyak, Whitehorse, Winnipeg and Yellowknife.
Fleet
The First Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March 2006):
- ATR 42-300
- BAe 748 Series 2A
- Boeing 727-200F
- Boeing 727-200C
- Boeing 727-100C
- Boeing 737-200
- L-382G Super Hercules
As of March 2006, the First Air fleet age is 22.5 years old.
External links & references
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