Hay River (Sep 04/06) - Residents of two communities in the Deh Cho will have another way in and out starting this month.

Landa Aviation, out of Hay River, will be offering scheduled flights to and from Trout Lake and Fort Simpson, said Kim King co-owner of the company.

The family-owned and operated business has been making charter flights and delivering groceries to the general store in Trout Lake for the last four years, said King.

"It just seemed like the next logical step," said King, who has owned the company with her husband Darcy King since 2000.

Landa Aviation plans to offer the scheduled flight service on both Wednesdays and Fridays, said King.

The Wednesday service would see a flight leaving from Hay River, going to Trout Lake and then to Fort Simpson. There would be a two or three hour stop in Fort Simpson.

It would then return to Hay River via Trout Lake.

"The stopover in Fort Simpson would allow Trout Lake residents to attend a doctor's appointment or do some shopping," said King.

A Friday flight would take the same route, but there would be no pause in Fort Simpson, said King.

Fares for the flights include: Hay River to Trout Lake return is $427, Trout Lake to Fort Simpson return is $342, and Hay River to Fort Simpson return is $726.

Flights will be made in a four passenger Cessna 337 said King. If more seats are needed for passengers, the company also operates a larger King Air Beech 100, which can seat eight.

The company plans to provide the flight service for a number of months, but could potentially change flight schedules depending on the response, said King.

"We'll step back and make adjustments as needed," said King.

The new flight service should help the Trout Lake residents quite a bit, said Sambaa K'e Dene First Nation Chief Dennis Deneron.

Scheduled flights mean residents of Trout Lake will have a way of attending meetings or appointments, said Deneron.

"It will be good to try it out," he said. "People in the community are looking forward to it."