North Star Air
Canadian charter and cargo airline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Star Air is a Canadian charter, passenger, and cargo airline with its headquarters in Thunder Bay, Ontario.[6] It maintains a secondary passenger hub in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and cargo hubs in Pickle Lake, Red Lake, Kapuskasing and Thompson, Manitoba. The airline primarily serves First Nations communities, providing regular service to 18 airports under its "Flex Flight Passenger Service".[5] It also serves other regional destinations on an on-demand basis. Founded in 1997 as a floatplane operator with two DHC-2 Beaver aircraft based in Pickle Lake, the airline has expanded over time and was acquired by new ownership in 2012. In 2015, Cargo North and North Star Air merged under the North Star banner. In 2022, North Star Air opened a new cargo depot in Winnipeg.
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| AOC # | 11025[2] | ||||||
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| Hubs | Thunder Bay International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Sioux Lookout Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 15,[3] 19[4] | ||||||
| Destinations | 18[5] | ||||||
| Parent company | The North West Company | ||||||
| Headquarters | Thunder Bay, Ontario | ||||||
| Key people | Frank Kelner | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
On April 28, 2017, The North West Company announced its purchase of North Star Air for $31 million.[7]
First Nations partners
North Star Air partners with eleven First Nations:[8]
Destinations
As of April 2025[update], North Star Air serves the following Ontario destinations:[5]
Fleet
As of April 2025[update] North Star Air had 15 aircraft registered with Transport Canada but lists 19 on its website.[3][4]
| Aircraft | Number TC list | Number North Star list | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72 | 4 | 5 | ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) | Based at Thompson, freight only[10] |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8 | — | 4 | Series 100/300 | Combi aircraft, based at Thunder Bay, up to 39 passengers.[11] Flights are operated by Summit Air. |
| Douglas DC-3 | 3 | 3 | Basler BT-67 | Based at Kapuskasing, Pickle Lake, Red Lake and Thompson, freight only[12] |
| Pilatus PC-12 | 8 | 7 | PC-12/45, PC-12/47, PC-12/47E | Combi aircraft, based at Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay, up to 9 passengers[13] |
| Total | 15 | 19 |
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