Jets for Air Inuit

oldtimer · Post by **oldtimer** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:07 am

One thing has always made me wonder.
Initial start-up cost aside, large jets are the cheapest way to go if you have the traffic to support the capacity but a big thorn in the whole operation is the lack of suitable infastructure, namely a hard surfaced runway. If you have a bunch of freight and or people to move, airplanes are available, either purchase or lease, almost everywhere. Hundreds are parked in the desert.
But everyone is kind of stuck with the B737 - 200 or B727 with the gravel kit because of the available runways.
I now money is an issue but with all of the money various governments waste, maybe some of it could be siphoned off for northern runway development.
Having worked for roadbuilders, I know there are problems and issues with building and maintaining a hard surfaced road(runway) but all it will take is a large hockey sock full of (large denomination) money.
Do we, as Canadians, want to develope our northern resources or do we just want to turn out the lights and forget the whole deal.
What do the Russians do? I suppose it is beyond us to go look see. Maybe they have a solution.
Any thoughts?

wingspan · Post by **wingspan** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:15 am

Anyone have info on conditions & pay?
Thanks,

Feel free to PM

Lommer · Post by **Lommer** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 11:36 am

The Russians don't pave their runways. Several major airports in Russia still have (very large) gravel ruways. The Russians just build their planes like tanks, and they don't worry as much as us when they inevitably get damaged. Perhaps this just illustrates the need for a new-generation jet in the 727/737 capacity range that's capable of gravel ops. Maybe bombardier should re-tool its C-series jet to fill that role? Who better to tackle this than us Canadians? (Ok maybe the Russians could do it better but the West has already demonstrated a total unwillingness to even look at Russian machines).

I'm also interested in the Alaska Airlines -200C story. Twotter: I would suspect that the reason isn't certification, it's some sort of political BS business restriction on who Alaska can re-sell the planes to. Not sure, but the fact that it's a North America-wide ban doesn't point to some Canadian certification quirk.

DA900 · Post by **DA900** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:40 pm

Lommer you are pretty close about the Alaska Airlines comment. We looked at a few of their combi's, but were advised that they will not sell any of them to North American buyers.
They do not want any companies that may compete with them on contracts. This being said I always scratch my head because we and other operators will get them somewhere else, so why don't you sell them to us and make some money.

I guess ego's always get in the way of common sense

Lommer · Post by **Lommer** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:06 pm

Hrm, perhaps there is money to be made by starting a shell African airline that buys a bunch of old Alaska -200C's and resells them to North American operators at a profit?

W5 · Post by W5 » Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:10 pm

Apparently they cannot be resold in North America (via wherever) at anytime. The reason is not clear to me, or to the people that told me . (perhaps liability?)

dji · Post by **dji** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:31 am

http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/activepage ... search.asp

At owner name, enter air inuit then look at number 12 on the list

could not link to the search result page directly.

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:50 am

737-2S2C, is that a combi? How many cases of Pepsi can you put on?

sanjet · Post by **sanjet** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:35 am

Wow so it is true! Where will they be based? YUL I suppose?

First Air / Canadian North must be keeping an eye on them right now...

Louis · Post by **Louis** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:55 am

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1147540/L/

Looks like the aircraft spent some time in the UAE.

Louis

sanjet · Post by **sanjet** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:04 pm

I still wonder how they operate a 737 though, I haven't heard any major new contracts. We will find out real soon I guess.

Who knows, lease it out??!?!

Vickers vanguard · Post by **Vickers vanguard** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:22 pm

Louis wrote:http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1147540/L/

Looks like the aircraft spent some time in the UAE.

Louis

yaaaaaaak! Sharjah ??? that's a nasty place to pick-up an old 737......all kind of bizzare stuff/operators on that airport

pelmet · Post by **pelmet** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:34 pm

[quote="sanjet"]Wow so it is true![/quote]

Yup

40ktcrosswind · Post by **40ktcrosswind** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:36 pm

Looks like the plane is now in Hamilton

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/CGAIG

plhought · Post by **plhought** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:35 pm

Spooooooky....

pilotbzh · Post by **pilotbzh** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 3:54 am

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... ntry=true

Looking at the flight deck it's a classic equiped with uns1 ..... from other pics it has a gravel kit and forward cargo door. Good for Air Inuit.

gapper · Post by **gapper** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:40 am

Is it still a requirement to be bilingual to get hired on at Air Inuit?[/b]

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:36 am

Not if you speak french.

CAL · Post by **CAL** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:50 pm

We have a 737-200 Combi/QC had no idea they were so rare?

Are these birds in high demand in the north?

CAL

FlyByWire · Post by **FlyByWire** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:47 pm

AIG is at the KFA hangar in YHM getting ready to get a cargo door.

CYOX · Post by **CYOX** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:25 am

FlyByWire wrote:AIG is at the KFA hangar in YHM getting ready to get a cargo door.

It already has a cargo door. I have looked at this aircraft and it is a good machine (at least when I looked at it 5 years ago) It was originally a FEDEX machine and was then sold to Saudi Aramco. Aramco had a fleet of 737-200's (6, 3 of them combis) They have the Vortex disipators but do not have the nose skid, so it is not gravel equipped. We bought the sister ship to this aircraft and it is a very nice machine. The last time I saw the other 2 they were in Addis Ababa and Dubai.

BTW Makkivik own both First Air and Air Inuit, I think that the aircraft will be leased to First Air since they are in desperate need of another 737.

THEICEMAN · Post by **THEICEMAN** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:07 pm

Cool! More job Opps. for me!

CYOX · Post by **CYOX** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 2:55 pm

CAL wrote:We have a 737-200 Combi/QC had no idea they were so rare?

Are these birds in high demand in the north?

CAL

There not that rare, there are still a number of them around, most of them are being operated as freighters or convertibles like CYB. The really rare ones are the ones with full gravel equip. Yours have the vortex disipators (removed) but the plumbing is still there.