For the moment, Andy Campbell, a vice-president of Inuit-owned First Air, says the existing service between Yellowknife and Inuvik will continue using NWT Air planes and any changes to the airline's service will not take effect until June 21.

"We will be having some schedule changes," he confirmed from the Carp, Ont., headquarters of First Air earlier this week.

"There could be some date changes, some time changes, that kind of thing, but there's nothing more I can say at this point."

Despite long-standing fears in Inuvik that the service could be reduced or discontinued because the planes sometimes fly with only a handful of passengers, Campbell said no details about the new schedule have been finalized. He said details could be released sometime next month.

With the takeover, a new general manager has been appointed to oversee the airline's western operations. Bruce Jonasson of Yellowknife, a former manager at Ptarmigan Airways, will oversee First Air's holdings in this part of the territories.

The planes will continue to fly as red-and-white NWT Air planes rather than being repainted in the rainbow-hued First Air colors for the foreseeable future, Campbell added.