Canadian North plans direct flights to Calgary
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 16/01) - Direct flights will soon be available to Canada's oil industry capital.
"In response to the oil and gas industry, primarily, Canadian North is looking to expand its services to include a new market, Calgary," said company spokesperson Kelly Kaylo.
Though details still have to be ironed out, the Northern-owned airline is planning to offer direct flights between the two cities six days a week, with three of the flights to Yellowknife including a leg to Inuvik.
Currently, those flying to Yellowknife out of Calgary must change planes in Edmonton.
Once they reach Yellowknife, passengers destined for Inuvik must make another transfer to a flight that stops at Norman Wells.
Flights on the new route will be made in a Fokker F-28, a jet-powered aircraft which will seat 51, including six business-class travellers. Canadian North is acquiring two of the jets.
By comparison, maximum seating on a 737, the aircraft most often used for flights between Edmonton and Yellowknife, is 112.
"Fifty-one seats is a nice sized aircraft for the market," Kaylo said. "It's also a fast aircraft, about the same speed as a 737."
Flying time to Calgary will be approximately two hours. Fares have yet to be finalized, but Kaylo said they will be comparable to the cost of Yellowknife-Edmonton flights -- "It'll be competitive, for sure," Kaylo said. "This gives us another market for seat sales as well."
The decision to establish the new routes was also connected to the company's ownership. Canadian North is owned by Norterra, a partnership of Nunasi and the Inuvialuit Development Corporation.
IDC and its parent company, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, are directly involved in gas exploration in the Beaufort-Delta.
Direct flights to Calgary are also more convenient to many Northerners travelling south.
Calgary is a jumping-off point to more destinations further south than Edmonton.
