Corporate Express (airline)

Corporate Express was an airline based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It operated air taxi and executive charter services, as well as scheduled services. Its main base was Calgary International Airport.[1] The airline shut down operations on June 18, 2009.

Corporate Express

IATA ICAO Callsign - CPB PENTA
Founded	1975
Ceased operations	2009
Fleet size	1
Parent company	Corpac Canada Limited
Headquarters	Calgary, Alberta, Canada

History

The genesis of Corpac Canada was in the early 1970s with Gord Peariso establishing Peariso Aviation, as an aircraft maintenance and parts supplier. His first-class maintenance facility serviced over 30 major oil companies operating their own aircraft in western Canada.

In the mid-1980s Peariso Aviation acquired Corpac Canada Ltd., which represented the Piper Aircraft Corporation and sold the Piper Cheyenne turboprop aircraft across Canada.

Corpac Canada eventually acquired an aircraft and diversified into the aircraft charter business. In 1991 Corporate Express Business and Charter Airline established the first corporate shuttle service in Western Canada operating between Calgary and Edmonton for the TELUS Corporation (then AGT) using the 18 passenger British Aerospace Jetstream 32.

Over the course of the next 10 years, Corporate Express Business and Charter Airline at times included several scheduled shuttle routes and charters, as determined by customer demand for these services.

It was with the customer in mind that the SAAB 340 Airliner was acquired in the year 2000. This 30 passenger aircraft marked the millennium for Corporate Express and once again raised the standard for corporate shuttle services and charters within Western Canada.

The airline merged with Avia Aviation, and acquired a fleet of Piaggio P180 Avanti aircraft in December 2005. In October 2006, an additional Saab 340 aircraft, that had been acquired earlier that year, enabled a number of new scheduled service routes to be added. These included Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Edmonton and Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Destinations

Corporate Express operated a shuttle service between Calgary and Fort McMurray, and services from both Calgary and Fort McMurray to southern and northern Alberta on behalf of oil companies.[1]

Corporate Express operated a scheduled air service between Calgary and Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Fleet

The Corporate Express fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

• 1 Saab 340A
• 3 Piaggio P180 Avanti II[1]
• 1 Saab 340B
• 2 BAe Jetstream 31

See also

• List of defunct airlines of Canada

References

1. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 69.