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Sep 18, 2013 | Vote0 0
Airport takes on Nunavut flights
ByMelissa Murray, For the Times
WATERLOO REGION – Starting Thursday, as many as four weekly flights will lift off from the Waterloo Region’s airport en route to Nunavut.
Regional council approved a contract with Nolinor Aviation last week that will allow the airline to operate regular charter service of cargo and personnel for a Toronto-based mining corporation to the Qikiqtani Region in Nunavut on Baffin Island.
It’s expected to bring about $400,000 in revenue from passenger processing fees, fuel surcharges, aircraft parking, landing fees and vehicle fees.
It is expected that at least two flights will leave from the airport each week.
The agreement also allows Nolinor, based out of Montreal, to use the terminal for screening of passengers and cargo.
Coun. Jim Wideman, who chairs the planning and works committee meeting, praised the agreement as a “good news story” for the region.
“It will simply get more bodies through the airport and will spark a neat wave of travel,” he said.
The region is trying to promote its airport so it can stand alone and be profitable.
“Four hundred thousand dollars a year is $400,000 closer to making a profit,” Wideman said following the meeting.
The company will fly the Boeing 737-200-series aircraft round trip, stopping in Iqaluit for fuel before continuing on to Baffin Island and repeating the trip, taking a total of 11 hours.
According to Nunatsiaq online, the mining project that’s the destination for the employees and cargo has been identified as the Baffinland Iron Mines Corp’s Mary River iron mine.
Chris Wood, Waterloo Regional Airport general manager, said the agreement is fantastic news for the airport and community.
“I think this is just the beginning. I think this is going to ramp up and it’s going to have some good spin-off,” he said.
Since Boeing will be based in the region, Wood said the airline is going to want to keep busy, which could mean additional flights and revenue.
“Airlines don’t like to have their airplanes sit on the ground. They don’t make any money sitting on the ground. I think everyone is going to try to keep that airplane flying as much as we can. It’s good for the airline, it’s good for us, it’s good for the local community.”
The airplane is a “combi”, so it can have passengers and cargo on the same flight.
The maximum number of passengers the flight can hold is 119, but Wood says initial talks indicate between 59 and 77 people will be on each flight and the rest of the space will be used for cargo.
Wood said he was introduced the idea of offering the flights out of the airport a couple of years ago, but it was just a few months ago when discussions really started to take off.
“They like the area, they like the airport, they like the ease for which we make things possible for them. I think they like the large population and the access of talent as well. They are eventually going to need to hire some people to work in this mine,” he said.
Airline officials have already looked at renting apartments for flight crews and are working to find a caterer for in-flight meals.
“They’ve already hired some companies to do the cargo handling and the fuelling and the security stuff here in the terminal building before they get on the flight,” Wood said.
The agreement is for one year.
I have noticed recently that there has been a Nolinor 737-200 operating regularly from YKF (comes right over my house on departure from 26). Through flightaware I see that the route has been YKF-YFB then continuing on to Mary River NU http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NRL9 ... /CYKF/CYFB
