Air Inuit
Inuit owned Canadian airline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Inuit (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔪᖏᑦ) is an airline headquartered in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada.[7] It operates domestic passenger services and charter and cargo services in Nunavik, southern Quebec, and Nunavut. Its main base is Kuujjuaq Airport.[8]
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 Air Inuit headquarters at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport | |||||||
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| Founded | November 1978 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | Canada 2955,[3] United States ILLF043F[4] | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Isaruuk Reward Program | ||||||
| Fleet size | 36[5] | ||||||
| Destinations | 21[6] | ||||||
| Parent company | Makivik Corporation | ||||||
| Headquarters | Saint-Laurent, Quebec | ||||||
| Key people | Christian Busch (President, Air Inuit) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
The airline was established and started operations in 1978 using a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft. The airline is collectively owned by the Inuit of Nunavik through the Makivik Corporation.[9]
In 1984 it acquired Chaparal Charters and its fleet of two Twin Otters and one Douglas DC-3.[10]
In 2012, Air Inuit relocated their headquarters to a new multi-purpose facility on Côte-Vertu Boulevard near the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.[7][9]
In 2016, Air Inuit pilot Melissa Haney became the first female Inuk pilot to reach the rank of captain. She was featured on a commemorative postage stamp released by the Canadian Ninety-Nines.[11]
In 2023, Air Inuit announced the retirement of its Boeing 737-200 Combi aircraft. The airline will replace the Boeing 737-200 with three Boeing 737-800 Combi aircraft.[12]
Destinations
Air Inuit operates scheduled services to the following domestic destinations (July 2023):[6]
Scheduled flights
| Province | Community/City | IATA | ICAO | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nunavut | Sanikiluaq | YSK | CYSK | Sanikiluaq Airport | |
| Quebec | Akulivik | AKV | CYKO | Akulivik Airport | |
| Aupaluk | YPJ | CYLA | Aupaluk Airport | ||
| Inukjuak | YPH | CYPH | Inukjuak Airport | ||
| Ivujivik | YIK | CYIK | Ivujivik Airport | ||
| Kangiqsualujjuaq | XGR | CYLU | Kangiqsualujjuaq (Georges River) Airport | ||
| Kangiqsujuaq | YWB | CYKG | Kangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay) Airport | ||
| Kangirsuk | YKG | CYAS | Kangirsuk Airport | ||
| Kuujjuaq | YVP | CYVP | Kuujjuaq Airport | Hub | |
| Kuujjuarapik | YGW | CYGW | Kuujjuarapik Airport | ||
| Montreal | YUL | CYUL | Montréal–Trudeau International Airport | Hub | |
| Puvirnituq | YPX | CYPX | Puvirnituq Airport | Hub | |
| Quaqtaq | YQC | CYHA | Quaqtaq Airport | ||
| Quebec City | YQB | CYQB | Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport | ||
| Radisson (La Grande) | YGL | CYGL | La Grande Rivière Airport | ||
| Salluit | YZG | CYZG | Salluit Airport | ||
| Schefferville | YKL | CYKL | Schefferville Airport | ||
| Sept-Îles | YZV | CYZV | Sept-Îles Airport | ||
| Tasiujaq | YTQ | CYTQ | Tasiujaq Airport | ||
| Umiujaq | YUD | CYMU | Umiujaq Airport |
Charters
Air Inuit also offers other charter services to anywhere in North America.[13]
Fleet
Current
As of June 2025[update], the Air Inuit fleet includes the following aircraft:[5]
| Aircraft | Number[5] | Orders | Variants | Notes[14][15] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 3 | - | 300 Series | Listed as 350 at Air Inuit, 11 passengers |
| Boeing 737 | 5 | - | 200 Series | Combi aircraft, able to operate from gravel airstrips, 112 passengers. To be retired and replaced by the 800 Series of the Boeing 737 Next Generation.[15] |
| Boeing 737 Classic | 1 | - | 300 Series | Up to 130 passengers |
| Boeing 737 Next Generation | 3 | – | 800 Series | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 7 | - | 300 Series | 3,200 lb (1,500 kg) cargo, 19 passengers |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8 | 17 | - | 100 Series, 300 Series | Three 100 Series combi aircraft, 37 seat maximum, 7,800 lb (3,500 kg) cargo; twelve 300 Series combi and cargo aircraft, 45 seat maximum, 13,500 lb (6,100 kg) |
| Total | 36 | 0 | ||
Air Inuit also has access to a Eurocopter Écureuil (Aerospatiale ASTAR 350) through Nunavik Rotors and a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter through Johnny May's Air Charters.[14]
On 1 March 2016, Bombardier Inc. announced that Air Inuit would be the launch customer for the Bombardier Q300 Large Cargo Door freighter.[16]
Former
Previously Air Inuit have also flown the following aircraft:[17]
Accidents and incidents
- On 16 March 1981, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, C-FIRW, was damaged beyond repair when it broke through the frozen surface of Lake Bienville while taxiing for take-off on a cargo flight.[18]
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