Air Saguenay
| Founded | 1960s |
|---|---|
| Operating bases | |
| Fleet size | 30[1] |
| Company slogan | "At home in the North" |
| Headquarters | Jonquiere, Quebec, Canada |
| Key people |
|
| Website |
www |
Air Saguenay is a regional airline based in northern Quebec, Canada.
History
In the early 1960s Peter Schoch, mink breeder, bought Saguenay Air Service, a carrier based at Kenogami Lake, owned by Saguenay Aero Club and used to train pilots. Schoch decided to open a new seaplane base, Lac Sébastien Water Aerodrome at St-David de Falardeau, Lake Sebastien, to offer a better service to companies like Alcan or Price Brothers, fishermen, hunters and services for forest fire patrol. The company expanded and merged in the mid-1970s with Gagnon Air Service to become a new company: Air Saguenay.
In 1980, the owner became Jean-Claude Tremblay who pushed the company one step further with his personalized approach, and the quality offered with his services. A second seaplane base, Chutes-des-Passes/Lac Margane Water Aerodrome was opened at Chute-des-Passes in 1982. It was a strategic location to access new territories for fishing and moose hunting and to better position himself toward the north. 1984 was a major year for the expansion of Air Saguenay. It purchased Air Caribou in Fermont and also purchased Club Chambeaux outfitters which gave him access to great fishing and caribou hunting in Northern Quebec. In 1986, the growth continued with the addition of a new seaplane base in Schefferville. He also purchased many other small bush operators in the 1990s, to reinforce the position of his company all over Northern Quebec.
Since 1998, the carrier expanded again with the purchase of Labrador Air Safari and Derap Aviation, both companies located on the north shore of Saint Lawrence River. Air Saguenay has now become, under Jean-Claude Tremblay and his son Jean Tremblay, an important bush carrier in Eastern Canada[2]
They also operate Lac Pau (Caniapiscau) Water Aerodrome.
Accidents and incidents
- On 16 July 2010, a DHC-2 Beaver floatplane, registration C-GAXL,[3] crashed into a wooded mountainside and caught fire near Lake Péribonka, Quebec, after encountering adverse weather conditions seven minutes into the flight. Of the six people on board, the pilot and three passengers were killed.[4][5]
- On 23 August 2015, a DHC-2 Beaver floatplane, registration C-FKRJ,[6] crashed into a wooded mountainside and caught fire near Les Bergeronnes, Quebec, shortly after taking off from Long Lake, near Tadoussac, on a sightseeing flight. All people on board, the pilot and six passengers, were killed.[7][8][9]
Fleet
As of January 2016 the following aircraft are registered with Transport Canada:
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft | Variants | Idents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 185 | 3 | 185E Skywagon | FYAO, GAYC, GUJQ |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | 1 | GTBY | |
| DHC-2 Beaver | 14 | Mk 1 | FIUS, FJAC, FJGV, FJKI, FKRJ, FRZL, FUWJ, FYYT, GAEF, GPUO, GUJI, GUJU, GWAE |
| DHC-3 Otter | 11 | FAZW, FDAK, FJZN, FODT, GLCO, GLFL, GLJI, GLMT, GQDU, GUTQ, GVNX |
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air Saguenay. |
- 1 2 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Air Saguenay". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
- ↑ Air Saguenay website
- ↑ "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". Transport Canada.
- ↑ "Aviation Investigation Report A10Q0111". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ↑ "Pilot error blamed for 2010 Quebec plane crash". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ↑ "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". Transport Canada.
- ↑ "Float plane crash near Tadoussac, Que., kills 6". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ↑ "Four Britons among six killed in plane crash on Quebec's North Shore". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia Network. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident 23-AUG-2015 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver C-FKRJ". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 August 2015.