Air Tindi
Encyclopedia
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 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, 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...
. Now owned by Discovery Air, it operates scheduled and on demand charter services. Its main base is Yellowknife Airport
Yellowknife Airport
Yellowknife Airport is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by the government of the Northwest Territories. The airport has regular scheduled passenger service, and is also used as a forward operating base for...
and the airline was formerly owned by the Arychuk family. The name Tindi means "the big lake" or "Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
", in the local native Tłı̨chǫ Yatiì
Dogrib language
Dogrib, the English translation of the indigenous name ' , is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the First Nations Tłı̨chǫ people of the Canadian territory Northwest Territories...
language.
History
Air Tindi was established by two families, Alex Arychuk and his wife Sheila, and his brother Peter Arychuk and his wife Teri. It began operations on 1 November 1988, with four float/skiUndercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
aircraft. In 1990, it purchased its first De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
with the help of the Rae-Edzo Development Corporation, allowing the airline to expand and provide more services to the growing mining exploration industry. In 1991, Air Tindi merged with Latham Island Airways and acquired a further four aircraft in the process. By mid-1992, Air Tindi was operating four Twin Otters on floats
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
. In 1993, their first large aircraft, a DHC 4 Caribou
De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...
for re-supply work with the mining industry, was purchased. A DHC Dash 7
De Havilland Canada Dash 7
The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with STOL capabilities. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing and was later sold to Bombardier...
was acquired in 1996.
On 19 December 2006, Air Tindi sold to Discovery Air (TSX
Toronto Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Canada, the third largest in North America and the seventh largest in the world by market capitalisation. Based in Canada's largest city, Toronto, it is owned by and operated as a subsidiary of the TMX Group for the trading of senior equities...
at DA.A), a publicly traded holding company based in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The original founders originally maintained their positions with Air Tindi, but various corporate disagreements led to Alex Arychuk leaving as president, and departing the Discovery Air board.
In August 2011 the Government of Nunavut announced that it had awarded a contract to Air Tindi, along with its partner Arsaniq owned by Dennis Lyall, to provide medivac services to the Kitikmeot Region
Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut
Kitikmeot Region is an administrative region of Nunavut, Canada. It consists of the southern and eastern parts of Victoria Island with the adjacent part of the mainland as far as the Boothia Peninsula, together with King William Island and the southern portion of Prince of Wales Island...
of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. The current holder of the contract, Adlair Aviation
Adlair Aviation
Adlair Aviation Ltd. was founded in 1983 as a family-owned charter airline in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Adlair Aviation was established by one of the north's pilots, Willy Laserich. It is based in Cambridge Bay and has administrative offices in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It operates...
, has appealed to the Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti and a decision was expected by 11 October 2011. The decision to dismiss the appeal was made 29 October 2011 and the news released 31 October. Adlair were given an extension on their contract until the end of November 2011.
Destinations
Air Tindi operates services (subject to traffic demand) to the following domestic scheduled destinations (as of November 2010):- Fort Simpson (Fort Simpson AirportFort Simpson AirportFort Simpson Airport is located east southeast of Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada.-Accidents and incidents:*On 26 June 1994, Douglas C-47A C-FROD of Buffalo Airways crashed on approach due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Trout Lake Airport. There were two...
) - Gamèti (Gamètì/Rae Lakes AirportGamètì/Rae Lakes AirportGamètì/Rae Lakes Airport is located at Gamèti, Northwest Territories, Canada where Barren-ground Caribou may be found on the runway.-External links:...
) - Lutselk'e (Lutselk'e AirportLutselk'e AirportLutselk'e Airport is located northeast of Lutselk'e Northwest Territories, Canada. Caribou may be found on the runway and the local terrain makes this a difficult aerodrome to use at night....
) - Wekweeti (Wekweètì AirportWekweètì AirportWekweètì Airport , is located east of Wekweètì, Northwest Territories, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:...
) - Whatì (Whatì AirportWhatì AirportWhatì Airport is located east of Whatì, Northwest Territories, Canada and caribou may be found on the runway....
) - Yellowknife (Yellowknife AirportYellowknife AirportYellowknife Airport is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by the government of the Northwest Territories. The airport has regular scheduled passenger service, and is also used as a forward operating base for...
)
Fleet
As of November 2010, Air Tindi had the following aircraft registered with Transport CanadaTransport 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...
and listed with Air Tindi:
| Aircraft | Number (TC 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... list) |
Number (Tindi list) |
Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beech 1900 Beechcraft 1900 The 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... |
1 | 1 | 1900D Beechcraft 1900 The 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... |
19 passengers |
| Beechcraft Super King Air Beechcraft Super King Air The 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... |
5 | 6 | Series 200/B200C/CATPASS | air ambulance Air ambulance An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport.... /MEDEVAC 9 passengers, gravel runway |
| Cessna 185 Cessna 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... |
3 | 2 | A185F | 3 passengers |
| Cessna 208 | 4 | 4 | Caravan, Grand Caravan | 9 passengers (Grand Caravan), 7 passengers (Caravan) |
| Turbo Otter De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft.-Design and... |
2 | 1 | 9 passengers, off-strip | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC... |
6 | 6 | Series 200/300 | 19 passengers/freighter, off-strip |
| de Havilland Canada Dash 7 De Havilland Canada Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with STOL capabilities. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing and was later sold to Bombardier... |
3 | 3 | Series 102/103 | 46 passengers/cargo, combi Combi In commercial aviation, the term combi refers to versions of various aircraft that can be used for either passenger, as an airliner would, or cargo duties, as a freighter would, and often have a partition in the aircraft cabin to allow both uses at once... , ice/gravel runway |