West Wind Aviation

West Wind Aviation Limited Partnership is a Saskatchewan based airline.

West Wind Aviation
IATA ICAO Callsign
— WEW[1] WESTWIND
Founded1983
AOC #12604[2]
HubsSaskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International Airport
Focus citiesRegina, Prince Albert
Fleet size3[3]
DestinationsSaskatoon, Regina
HeadquartersSaskatoon, Saskatchewan
Key peopleMichael Rodyniuk (President & CEO)
Websitehttp://www.westwindaviation.ca http://www.expressairclub.ca

Destinations
West Wind hangar in Regina

Under its ExpressAir banner, West Wind formerly offered scheduled service between Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. Service in northern Saskatchewan and Nunavut were provided under the Pronto Airways banner. In 2015 West Wind Aviation absorbed Osprey Wings which was established in 1979.[4]

Its main commercial rival was Prince Albert-based Transwest Air which became a subsidiary of West Wind Aviation July 1, 2016, and all scheduled flights are operated by Transwest.

In January 2021, it was announced West Wind Aviation will be merged with Transwest Air and renamed Rise Air.[5]

Fleet

As of February 2020, West Wind Aviation had the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada.[3]

West Wind Aviation
AircraftNumberVariantsNotes
ATR 423300 series, 320 series44/46 passengers.
Beechcraft 1900n/a1900C, 1900D19 passengers, and is versatile enough to land on gravel and pavement airstrips. Not listed by Transport Canada.
Beechcraft Super King Airn/a200 series8 passengers, MEDIVAC capable. Not listed by Transport Canada.
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Ottern/a300 series19 passengers. Not listed by Transport Canada.

In addition the Transport Canada site lists a Cessna 414 and three Cessna 401s (one Cessna 401 and two Cessna 401B) with cancelled certificates.[3]

Aviation services

West Wind operates fixed-base operations at the Saskatoon and Regina airports under Shell Canada's AeroCentre franchise.[6] Under the International Air Services brand, West Wind provides airport terminal services to charter and international airlines at the Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg airports.[7] In addition, under the Lancaster Fuel brand, the company provides aviation fuel to smaller airports and private operators in the province.[8]

Accidents
  • West Wind Aviation Flight 280, an ATR42 aircraft crashed with 22 passengers and 3 crew on board at Fond-du-Lac, approximately 1 km from the airport, immediately after taking off from the airport, on December 13, 2017. The aircraft was destroyed but everyone on board initially survived, 1 passenger died of his injuries 12 days later.[9]

Repercussions

On December 22, 2017, West Wind Aviation's air operator certificate was suspended by Transport Canada. Transport Canada cited the reason in a news release stating that the airline has deficiencies in its safety management system. Transport Canada also mentioned that the airline lost its Operator Certificate in the interest of public safety. "In the interest of public safety, Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate and will not allow the company to resume its commercial air service until it demonstrates compliance with aviation safety regulations".[10]

Transport Canada reinstated West Wind's license to operate on May 8, 2018. Operations have since resumed.[11]

References
  1. Transport Canada - Air Traffic Designators - TP 143 (PDF) Archived March 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Transport Canada (2019-08-28), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
  3. "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for West Wind Aviation". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  4. "Osprey Wings". Airline History. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  5. "Two northern Saskatchewan airlines rebrand, consolidate to 'stay alive'". Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  6. "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  7. "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  8. "West Wind Aviation - Now You're Getting Somewhere". Westwindaviation.ca. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  9. "All 25 passengers on crashed Fond-du-Lac flight 'accounted for' but some require air ambulance, RCMP say". cbc.ca. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  10. Canada, Transport. "Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate - Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  11. Canada, Transport. "Transport Canada reinstates West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate - Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
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