Airplane fuel in tight supply
North-Wright Airways president says supply at Norman Wells could run out in two weeks
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Saturday, June 20, 2015
LLI GOLIN/NORMAN WELLS
A shortage of aviation fuel is threatening flights and the transport of goods in Norman Wells.
A photo of a North-Wright airplane. The company is facing a shortage of fuel for its piston-based engines as a result of a shortage from Imperial Oil. - photo courtesy of North-Wright Airways
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"We possibly could have a real crisis in the Sahtu with no gas for airplanes in maybe a week's time," Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya, who used to work for Imperial for almost five years told News/North.
Imperial spokeperson Killeen Kelly said that supplies are currently tight due to an issue regarding storage which is impacting the ability of its customers to refuel.
Yakeleya said North-Wright and Buffalo Airways were given only a week's notice that aviation fuel deliveries would be held up.
The petroleum product, commonly known as avgas, is used in piston engines in aircraft such as 206s, 207s, 185s, C26s and DC-4s.
Kelly said the supply issue was limited to avgas.
She said it was too early to give a timeline for when the issue would be resolved. However, Warren Wright, president of North-Wright Airways, said the shortage was a result of Imperial not getting the fuel on the transportation company's barge in time. Michael Cooper, president of Cooper Barging Ltd. - that ships Imperial products - later confirmed that this was the case.
As a result, Wright said his company's supply of avgas could run out in as little as two weeks.
Both Warren and his wife Caroline, who is also vice-president of North-Wright, pointed out that the shortage would likely affect Buffalo Airways the most. The airline frequently transports fresh products and other goods to the community each week using engines that use avgas.
"It really hits them hard," Warren said.
Buffalo Airways declined to comment for this story.
Caroline Wright also pointed out that hunting season in the area is set to start in a few weeks and supplies would normally be transported on aircraft that use avgas.
Two-seater big-game "supercub" planes used to transport people to hunting camps in the remote Mackenzie mountains would also be affected by the fuel shortage.
Ultimately, if the shortage of avgas were to extend beyond the two-week supply currently in North-Wright's storage facilities, the company would switch more deliveries to its turbine-engine aircraft. However, Warren noted that the cost of doing so is significantly higher, from $700 on its piston engines to $2,000, due to the larger-sized aircraft and higher amount of fuel required for operation. "We'd definitely pass on the cost to the customer," he said.
North-Wright also helps transport short-term staff like heating and plumbing contractors to areas such as Tulita, Fort Good Hope and Deline.
Yakeleya pointed out that even if other aircraft were used as replacements, capacity would be affected, as the plane would have to bring in its own fuel. "It doesn't make sense because it's small loads for huge aircraft," he said.
According to a Department of Transportation spokesperson who asked not to be named, the territory's director of airports had not yet heard of the problem on June 18.
"This is not an issue with the department and we cannot intervene," the individual said.
According to an e-mail obtained by News/North, the Department of Public Works is monitoring the situation and Bassett Petroleum Ltd. of Hay River is now available to supply aviation gasoline to Norman Wells to help bridge the gap. The avgas from Bassett would also be delivered by Cooper Barging Ltd, and Cooper confirmed that Imperial Oil had originally cancelled the delivery of a truckload trailer of avgas totalling approximately 30,000 litres.
However, Warren said that he is waiting until Tuesday to determine if he needs to place an order with Bassett. He said this new arrangement with Bassett and Cooper is a stopgap to the issue with Imperial Oil, which also involves multiple levels of transportation and delivery from the the tanker truck to the various planes.
"It might be a long-term thing with Bassett if (Imperial) doesn't do anything there," he said. "Right now, we're just looking after our own company so we're covered and go from there."
