Keewatin Air (IATA: FK) is an airline that operates from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.Company Bases The airline was started by Frank Robert May (who had been a pilot for Lamb Air) and his wife Judy Saxby in 1971, in the Keewatin Region, then part of the Northwest Territories.May Family History
It was formed as "Keewatin Air Limited" to provide charter services to the region. It was the first airline to have a permanent base in Nunavut (then known as the Keewatin Region of the Northwest Territories). In 1987 it expanded to include medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) services, to what would become the Kivalliq Region, using a fleet of aircraft that began with a Tradewind aircraft - a multi-modified Beech 18 with a turbine engine and tricycle gear. This aircraft was followed by a Westwind, another modified Beech 18 with turbine engines and eventually these were replaced by Merlin IIA aircraft that had the added benefit of being pressurized and had turboprops. The MEDEVAC service is now known as "Nunavut Lifeline".Nunavut Lifeline Currently three Kingair 200 aircraft are based in Rankin Inlet, one in Churchill, Manitoba. and two in Iqaluit, where the airline also bases a Lear 35 for the long hauls to Ottawa and a Pilatus PC-12 to access the short strips.
In 1998 the company formed Kivalliq Air to provide scheduled air service within the Kivalliq Region and to Winnipeg and Churchill.Kivalliq Air That service has since been cancelled.
In 2005 the company was sold to Exchange Industrial Income Fund (now Exchange Income Corporation), owners of Perimeter Aviation, Bearskin Airlines and Calm Air. May and Saxby continued to manage the airline for a short period after the sale.CBC News - Keewatin Air sold to southern interests
Destinations
Keewatin Air does not have specific destinations, but works primarily as a charter airline. They also provide aeromedical services. +Bases of operationsAircraftServiceCityProvince/AreaCitation 560, PC-24, PC-12, King Air B200Medevac, Administration hub, Maintenance WinnipegManitobaKing Air B200Medevac and Passenger TerminalThompsonManitobaKing Air B200Medevac and Maintenance ChurchillManitobaKing Air B200, PC-12, Citation 560Medevac and Maintenance IqaluitNunavutKing Air B200MedevacIgloolikNunavutKing Air B200Medevac and Maintenance Rankin InletNunavutKing Air B200MedevacCambridge BayNunavutKing Air B200Medevac and Maintenance YellowknifeNorthwest Territories
Fleet the following 27 aircraft were registered with Transport Canada and at least 10 listed with Keewatin Air.
+ Keewatin Air fleetAircraftNo. of aircraftKeewatinNo. of aircraftTCVariantsNotes 15 16 3 - Model 20012 - Model B20011 - Model B200C All 15 aircraft are listed at Keewatin Air as Beechcraft King Air 200/B200 Cessna Citation V 5 3 - Model 560 / 560 Citation V1 - Model 560 Citation Encore 7-8 passengers. The Model 560 is the only one listed on the Keewatin Air site. Pilatus PC-12 4 1 - PC-12/453 - PC-12/47E Air charter, single engine up to six passengers Pilatus PC-24 2 First dedicated MEDEVAC jets, up to six passsengers.Total 15+ 27
Accidents and incidents On December 22, 2012, a Fairchild Metro 3/23 twin-engine turboprop aircraft belonging to Perimeter Aviation but chartered by Kivalliq Air crashed near the end of the runway at Sanikiluaq Airport in northern Canada, killing a six-month-old baby and injuring the eight other people on board. The cause was not immediately known.
References
External links
Official site