Bearskin Airlines

Sioux Lookout Airport, Thunder Bay International Airport, Greater Sudbury Airport

Bearskin Lake Air Services Ltd. ( Bearskin Airlines ) is a regional airline based in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. It operates scheduled flights in northern Ontario and Manitoba. The main bases are Sioux Lookout Airport and Thunder Bay International Airport with a hub at Greater Sudbury Airport.

History

Bearskin Airlines was founded on July 17, 1963 by John Heglund. Was named the company to Bearskin Lake, a community of indigenous people, 270 miles northeast of Sioux Lookout.

1965 took over Henri Boulanger and Bert Cone society and they operated on as an air taxi company with seaplanes. 1972 took over Harvey Friesen, a pilot for the company 's 50 percent share of Boulanger.

In 1977, the first flight line was added to the connection between Big Trout Lake and Sioux Lookout. In 1978 the base was set up in Sioux Lookout and added a second route between Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay. In 1978 occurred in the company of brother Harvey Friesen, Cliff Friesen founded the second base in Thunder Bay.

In the late 1970s and early 1990s, the provincial government of Ontario forced the construction of airfields in places of the natives. Bearskin benefited from this development and expanded its route network with the help of rolling machines.

Bearskin expanded its route network in Northern Ontario continued and offered shuttle flights for Air Canada in Thunderbay and Winnipeg. With newly acquired Fairchild Metroliner the line network was expanded to 1999 Northeast Ontario and northern Manitoba. 2003 Bearskin had expanded its route network to forty goals.

In spring 2003, Bearskin sold its northern lines to 21 places of the natives at Wasaya Airways. Wasaya is owned by Aboriginal communities in northern Ontario.

2007 line services have been expanded to Ottawa and the region around Waterloo with Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. Today Bearskin flies over a hundred flights a day to 17 destinations in Ontario and Manitoba.

Destinations

Ontario

Dryden, Fort Frances, Kapuskasing, Kenora, Region of Waterloo, North Bay, Ottawa, Red Lake, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Kitchener.

Manitoba

Flin Flon, Lynn Lake, The Pas, Winnipeg.

Fleet

As of July 2013, the fleet of Bearskin Airlines consists of 17 aircraft:

Incident

On November 10, 2013 accident, a Fairchild Swearingen Metro of Bearskin Airlines from Sioux Lookout to Red Lake during the landing approach. The accident caused five deaths, two passengers survived.

Pictures of Bearskin Airlines

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