Air Mikisew
Encyclopedia
Air Mikisew was an airline
based in Fort McMurray
, Alberta
, Canada
. It operated scheduled passenger services in the Fort McMurray/Fort Chipewyan
region. Its main base was the Fort McMurray Airport
. It was awarded the Fort McMurray Business of the Year award in 2005.
.
On April 22, 2010, Transport Canada
grounded Air Mikisew while an audit was performed. At that time, with permission of Transport Canada, the company, which had given up its Air Operator Certificate
, had obtained the services of other aircraft to cover the flights. In June 2010, the Canadian Transportation Agency
said that the airline may be in violation of the Canada Transportation Act and was not permitted to operate any flights. The airline has subsequently been dissolved. The Canadian Transportation Agency revoked Air Mikisew's licence on July 22, 2011.
, Fort McMurray, and Edmonton
. It also provided aero-medical flights for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
area and charter flights throughout western Canada.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray, Alberta
Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It was previously incorporated as a city on September 1, 1980. It became an urban service area when it amalgamated with Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995 to create the Municipality...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It operated scheduled passenger services in the Fort McMurray/Fort Chipewyan
Fort Chipewyan, Alberta
Fort Chipewyan, commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, approximately north of Fort McMurray.Fort Chipewyan is one of...
region. Its main base was the Fort McMurray Airport
Fort McMurray Airport
Fort McMurray Airport is located southeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. It has seen a rise in business over the last 10 years due to an economic boom in the Athabasca Oil Sands, which are north of Fort McMurray. Now the fifth largest city in Alberta, the population of Fort McMurray has...
. It was awarded the Fort McMurray Business of the Year award in 2005.
History
The airline was established and started operations in 1961 as Contact Air and became wholly owned by the Mikisew Cree First Nation in 1995. It had 63 employees as of at March 2007. Mikisew is the Cree word for eagleEagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
.
On April 22, 2010, Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
grounded Air Mikisew while an audit was performed. At that time, with permission of Transport Canada, the company, which had given up its Air Operator Certificate
Air Operator's Certificate
An air operator's certificate is the approval granted from a national aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public...
, had obtained the services of other aircraft to cover the flights. In June 2010, the Canadian Transportation Agency
Canadian Transportation Agency
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent administrative tribunal of the Government of Canada that makes decisions relating to federally-regulated modes of transportation...
said that the airline may be in violation of the Canada Transportation Act and was not permitted to operate any flights. The airline has subsequently been dissolved. The Canadian Transportation Agency revoked Air Mikisew's licence on July 22, 2011.
Destinations
Air Mikisew provided scheduled flights between Fort ChipewyanFort Chipewyan, Alberta
Fort Chipewyan, commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, approximately north of Fort McMurray.Fort Chipewyan is one of...
, Fort McMurray, and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. It also provided aero-medical flights for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
Wood Buffalo, Alberta
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is a specialized municipality located in northeastern Alberta. Formed as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Fort McMurray and Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995, it is the second largest municipality in Alberta by area...
area and charter flights throughout western Canada.
Fleet
As of June 2010, the Air Mikisew fleet consisted of the following aircraft until its audit by Transport Canada:- two British Aerospace Jetstream 31 (one Executive and one Commuter configuration);
- one Raytheon Beech 1900DBeechcraft 1900The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company . It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner...
; - one Raytheon Beech B99Beechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
; - one Raytheon Beech King Air B200Beechcraft Super King AirThe Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
Medevac; - one Cessna 208 CaravanCessna 208The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers...
(Amphibious in the summer); - two Piper PA-31-350 Navajo ChieftainsPiper PA-31 NavajoThe Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engine aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also licence-built in a number of Latin American countries. Targeted at small-scale cargo and feeder liner operations and...
; - one Cessna 207;
- one Cessna 206; and
- one Cessna 185Cessna 185-Specification for differing configurations:-References:* Jan Churchill, Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia, Sunflower University Press, Manhattan KS, ISBN 0-89745-215-1...
(on floats).