Wasaya Airways
First Nations-owned airline in Ontario, Canada
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Wasaya Airways LP (or in Oji-Cree ᐙᐦᓭᔮ ᐱᒥᐦᓭᐎᐣ (Waaseyaa Bimisewin); unpointed: ᐗᓭᔭ ᐱᒥᓭᐎᐣ) is a First Nations-owned domestic airline[7] with its headquarters in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.[8] Its main hubs are the Thunder Bay International Airport and the Sioux Lookout Airport; It also offers a charter and cargo service from a base in Red Lake Airport and Pickle Lake Airport. In 2003, Wasaya Airways bought the rights to serve remote First Nations communities from Bearskin Airlines. The airline also supplies food, clothing, hardware and other various supplies to 25 remote communities in Ontario.
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 A Hawker Siddeley HS 748 parked in front of the Red Lake hangar | |||||||
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| Founded | 1989 | ||||||
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| AOC # | 11802[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | Thunder Bay International Airport Sioux Lookout Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Red Lake Airport Pickle Lake Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 17[3][4] | ||||||
| Destinations | 24[5] | ||||||
| Parent company | Wasaya Group Inc. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Thunder Bay, Ontario | ||||||
| Key people | Paul Disley (President and CEO)[6] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
Established in 1989 as Kelner Airways,[9] it was renamed Wasaya in 1993. The new name comes from the Oji-Cree language, which means "it is bright" in English, in reference to the brightness of the rising Sun.
Over the years, the airline has grown from a floatplane operation to a charter and scheduled passenger service airline.
Its inflight magazine Sagatay is published in conjunction with Wawatay Native Communications Society.
In October 2010, the company purchased a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 to bolster its fleet.
Destinations
Scheduled services
Wasaya Airways serves the following destinations in Ontario:[5]
- Bearskin Lake First Nation (Bearskin Lake Airport), owner community
- Deer Lake First Nation (Deer Lake Airport)
- Fort Severn First Nation (Fort Severn Airport), owner community
- Kasabonika Lake First Nation (Kasabonika Airport), owner community
- Keewaywin First Nation (Keewaywin Airport), owner community
- Kingfisher First Nation (Kingfisher Lake Airport), owner community
- Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake) (Big Trout Lake Airport), owner community
- Muskrat Dam Lake First Nation (Muskrat Dam Airport), owner community
- Nibinamik First Nation (Summer Beaver), (Summer Beaver Airport), owner community
- North Spirit Lake First Nation (North Spirit Lake Airport)
- Pickle Lake (Pickle Lake Airport), freight hub
- Pikangikum First Nation (Pikangikum Airport), owner community
- Poplar Hill First Nation (Poplar Hill Airport)
- Red Lake (Red Lake Airport), hub
- Sandy Lake First Nation (Sandy Lake Airport), owner community
- Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport), hub
- Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport), hub
- Wapekeka First Nation (Angling Lake/Wapekeka Airport), owner community
- Wunnumin Lake First Nation (Wunnumin Lake Airport), owner community
Fleet
As of July 2025[update], Wasaya Airways had six different aircraft types listed on their website (however individual aircraft numbers are not listed) and seventeen registered with Transport Canada.[3][4]
| Aircraft | No. of aircraft TC | Variants | Notes[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42 | 1 | ATR 42-320 | Freight only up to 4,800 kg (10,500 lb) | |
| ATR 72 | 2 | ATR 72-212 | Freight only up to 7,300 kg (16,000 lb) or fuel up to 9,200 L (2,000 imp gal; 2,400 US gal) | |
| Beechcraft 1900 | 6 | 1900D | Seats up to 18, used for scheduled and charter service | |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | 1 | 208B Grand Caravan | Seats up to 9, used for scheduled, charters, freight services, and fuel | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8 | 2 | DHC-8-102 DHC-8-314 | Seats up to 37 (DHC-8-102) or 44 (DHC-8-314) for scheduled and charter service and 0 on the freight only. | |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 4 | 748 Series 2A | Not listed at Wasaya website | |
| Pilatus PC-12 | 1 | PC-12/45 | Seats up to 9, used for scheduled, charters and freight services | |
| Total | 17 | |||
Accidents and incidents
- On 11 September 2003, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operating as Wasaya Airways Flight 125 crashed near Summer Beaver, killing all eight persons on board. The flight originated in Pickle Lake and was scheduled to land at Summer Beaver Airport, but the airplane crashed and burned 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) northwest of the runway. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada was unable to determine the cause.[10][11]
- On 12 June 2012, a Wasaya Airways Hawker Siddeley HS 748 caught fire while unloading JET A-1 jet fuel at Sandy Lake Airport in Northwestern Ontario. No injuries were reported. The aircraft burned to the ground, and only the left wing and nacelle survived.[12]
- On 11 December 2015, Wasaya Airways Flight 127, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, while en route from Pickle Lake Airport to Angling Lake/Wapekeka Airport, crashed approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) north northeast of Pickle Lake Airport. The pilot was the sole occupant and was killed in the crash. The probable cause for the accident was flying in known or forecast icing conditions although the aircraft was prohibited from doing that, and a high take-off weight that increased the severity of degraded performance when the flight encountered icing conditions.[13][14]
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