Bearskin Airlines

Bearskin Lake Air Service LP, operating as Bearskin Airlines, is a regional airline based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is a division of Perimeter Aviation and operates services in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Its main base is at Thunder Bay International Airport (YQT), with a hub at Greater Sudbury Airport (YSB).[5]

Bearskin Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
JV BLS BEARSKIN
FoundedJuly 17, 1963
AOC #Canada: 1861,[1] United States: VEKF819I[2]
Hubs
Focus citiesSudbury Airport
Frequent-flyer programAeroplan
Fleet size23[3]
Destinations11[4]
Parent companyExchange Income Corporation
HeadquartersSioux Lookout, Ontario
Key peopleJohn Hegland, Founder
Websitewww.bearskinairlines.com

History
Bearskin Airlines' Metroliner

The airline was established in 1963 by bush pilot Otto John Hegland and started operations in July 1963 from its base at Big Trout Lake, Ontario (but was named after Bearskin Lake where Hegland had a general store). It started out by providing only charter services to the remote First Nations reserves in northern Ontario, using bush planes equipped with floats in the summer and skis in the winter. In 1977, it began its first regular scheduled flights between Big Trout Lake and Sioux Lookout.[6]

From then on, other scheduled flights were progressively added, first to Thunder Bay, followed by Kenora and Winnipeg. This was also the period when the Government of Ontario began constructing new airfields that would make the northern communities accessible year-round. Therefore, in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Bearskin made the transition of bush planes to wheeled commuter planes.[6]

Following the collapse of NorOntair in 1996, Bearskin picked up over two thirds of that carrier's routes, thereby adding scheduled service to all the major northern Ontario cities. Three years later, it expanded operations to destinations in northern Manitoba. In 2003, it sold its routes and assets servicing northern First Nations communities to Wasaya Airways. This marked as a break with its bush flying background to focus on becoming a regional carrier.[6]

It was owned by Harvey Friesen (President), Cliff Friesen (Executive Vice-President), Karl Friesen (Vice President of Operations), Rick Baratta (Vice President of Finance) and Brad Martin (Director of Operations), but in 2010 it was sold to Exchange Income Corporation (EIC) for $32 million. EIC also owns Calm Air, Perimeter Aviation, and Keewatin Air. Bearskin has 240 employees.[5]

As of April 1, 2014, all service at Region of Waterloo Airport (YKF) and Ottawa Airport (YOW) was cancelled, affecting seven routes and significantly decreased the flight operations. The company indicated that a softening mining sector and high tech sectors (such as BlackBerry) were to blame for cutting the routes. Additional factors included the introduction of new competitors (such as Porter Airlines).[7] The company indicated it's refocusing on northwestern and northeastern routes in Northern Ontario.[8][9][10][11]

Bearskin is a major provider of flights for Hope Air, a charity that organizes free non-emergency medical flights for people in financial need, particularly from remote communities.[12]

Destinations
Bearskin Metroliner at dusk

Bearskin Airlines operates services to the following Canadian domestic scheduled destinations:[4]

City Province IATA ICAO Airport Notes
Dryden Ontario YHD CYHD Dryden Regional Airport
Fort Frances Ontario YAG CYAG Fort Frances Municipal Airport
Kenora Ontario YQK CYQK Kenora Airport
North Bay Ontario YYB CYYB North Bay/Jack Garland Airport
Red Lake Ontario YRL CYRL Red Lake Airport
Sault Ste. Marie Ontario YAM CYAM Sault Ste. Marie Airport
Sioux Lookout Ontario YXL CYXL Sioux Lookout Airport Hub
Sudbury Ontario YSB CYSB Sudbury Airport Focus
Thunder Bay Ontario YQT CYQT Thunder Bay International Airport Hub
Timmins Ontario YTS CYTS Timmins/Victor M. Power Airport
Winnipeg Manitoba YWG CYWG Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Hub

Routes
Bearskin Metroliner interior
Leaving From: Going To:
Dryden Fort Frances, Kenora, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg
Fort Frances Dryden, Kenora, Thunder Bay
Kenora Dryden, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay
North Bay Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay
Red Lake Dryden, Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg
Sault Ste. Marie North Bay, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins
Sioux Lookout Dryden, Fort Frances, Kenora, Red Lake, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg
Sudbury North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Timmins
Thunder Bay Dryden, Fort Frances, Kenora, North Bay, Red Lake, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Sudbury, Timmins, Winnipeg
Timmins Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay
Winnipeg Dryden, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay

Fleet

As per the Bearskin Airlines site the only aircraft they operate are Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners. As of August 2019, Perimeter Aviation has 23 of the aircraft available:[3][13]

Bearskin Airlines fleet
Aircraft Number Variants Passengers Notes
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner 23 SA227 Series 19 15 - 291 Metro III (SA227-AC), 2 - 115 Metro 23 (SA227-CC), 6 - 115 Metro 23 (SA227-DC)
Bearskin Metroliner at Region of Waterloo International Airport

Previously operated

Bearskin Airlines has flown the following aircraft in the past:[6]

Affinity programs

The airline offers Aeroplan rewards points, both to collect and to redeem.

Accidents and incidents
  • May 1, 1995: Flight 362, a Swearingen Metroliner, collided with an Air Sandy Piper Navajo Chieftain while on approach to Sioux Lookout Airport, destroying both aircraft and killing all persons on both aircraft, a total of 8 dead.[14]
  • December 4, 1997: Flight 310, a Beechcraft 99 hit the runway at Webequie Airport when it descended too quickly. No injuries were reported but the aircraft was written off.[15]
  • November 10, 2013: A Swearingen Metroliner crashed on approach into Red Lake Airport in Ontario after a flight from Sioux Lookout Airport, killing five of seven people aboard.[16][17] The crash occurred south of the airfield where the aircraft struck trees and a power line before being destroyed by impact and fire.[18] The Transportation Safety Board of Canada concluded that there was a total failure of the left engine about 500 ft (150 m) above ground due to an internal component. This slowed the aircraft and caused it to stall. This led Honeywell, the engine manufacturer, to issue a change to inspection procedures for fuel nozzles.[19]
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References
  1. Transport Canada (2019-08-30), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
  2. "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
  3. "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Perimeter Aviation". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  4. Reservations Archived January 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 84.
  6. Bearskin Airlines, Bear Country: Special 45th Anniversary Issue, 2008, ISBN D702544
  7. "Bearskin drops flights to Ottawa, K-W". Northern Ontario Business. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  8. Kelly, Brian. "Bearskin trims Sault service". Sault Star. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  9. "Bearskin Airlines cancels all trips between Waterloo Region and Ottawa". CBC News. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  10. "Bearskin Airlines Terminates Service to Ottawa and Kitchener/Waterloo" (Press release). Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada: Bearskin Airlines. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  11. CTV Kitchener (25 March 2014). "Bearskin Airlines ending service from Waterloo Region to Ottawa". CTV News. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  12. "Commercial Airlines". Archived from the original on 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
  13. "Aircraft". Bearskin Airlines. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  14. Report Number A95H0008
  15. "Record 19971204-0" at Aviation Safety Net
  16. Crash: Bearskin SW4 at Red Lake on Nov 10th 2013, impacted ground on final approach at The Aviation Herald
  17. "Record 20131110-0" at Aviation Safety Net
  18. "Aviation Investigation A13C0150 Bearskin Airlines flight 311". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  19. "Engine power loss blamed for 2013 Bearskin crash". Northern Ontario Business. 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
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