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First Air purchases NWT Air
New president is Scott Bateman by Nancy Gardiner
NNSL (June 23/97) - First Air has purchased NWT Air from Air Canada, effective June 19. NWT Air, which employs 180 people, provides air services to Edmonton, Winnipeg, Inuvik, Yellowknife, Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit. Andy Campbell, vice-president of sales and commercial operations for First Air, says there's no plans to change any routes in the immediate future. One change, though, is NWT Air president Mark Winders has been replaced by Scott Bateman, who's the new president and CEO of NWT Air. Winders will continue working as a consultant with NWT Air and First Air during the initial stages of the ownership change, according to an NWT Air press release. "Passengers and cargo customers in the North will benefit from the combined resources of NWT Air and First Air," says Scott Bateman in the same release. First Air's head office is in Carp, Ont., near Ottawa. The airline employs 750 people and has a fleet of 30 aircraft, including six Boeing 727s. The airline already provides service to the NWT and Nunavut, the Yukon and Greenland. First Air is a subsidiary of Inuit-owned Makivik Corporation. |