Harbour Air
Encyclopedia
Harbour Air is a scheduled service, tour and charter airline
based in Richmond
, British Columbia
, Canada
. The airline specializes in routes between Vancouver
, Nanaimo, Victoria
, Sechelt
, Comox
and the Gulf Islands
, primarily with de Havilland Canada
floatplane
s. Along with West Coast Air
, they also operate de Havilland Beavers
and de Havilland Twin Otters
.
charter services for the forestry industry in British Columbia. In 1993, Harbour Air purchased Trans-Provincial Airlines
, added charter flights to resorts, and increased scheduled services. Today, Harbour Air refers to itself as the world's largest all-seaplane airline and became North America's first carbon neutral airline. A small subsidiary, Harbour Air Malta, was set up in June 2007 and a DHC-3 Turbo Otter floatplane is permanently based in Valletta
, Malta
for scheduled flights to Gozo
and sightseeing trips around the islands. Harbour Air Magazine is the official in-flight magazine of Harbour Air.
On February 16, 2010, Deloitte Canada announced that Harbour Air was a winner of a 2009 Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies Award. This national award is sponsored by Deloitte, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Commercial Banking, National Post
and Queen's School of Business
.
On March 31, 2010, Harbour Air completed the acquisition of West Coast Air successfully consolidated their terminal services.
On May 20, 2011, Harbour Air grounded its service from Victoria Harbour
to Langley Regional Airport
due to low passenger numbers and fuel price surges.
Ltd. is Harbour Air's northern affiliate and offers the following flights with four de Havilland Beavers:
As of March 2011, the Harbour Air fleet consisted of 39 aircraft and 30 registered with Transport 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 Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, 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...
. The airline specializes in routes between Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Nanaimo, Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Sechelt
Sechelt, British Columbia
The District Municipality of Sechelt is on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, Sechelt is accessible to the mainland of British Columbia via a 40 minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25 minute drive from Langdale...
, Comox
Comox, British Columbia
Comox is a town of 12,000 people located on a small peninsula in the Georgia Strait on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil and abundant sea life attracted First Nations thousands of years ago, who called the area kw’umuxws...
and the Gulf Islands
Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....
, primarily with de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
floatplane
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...
s. Along with West Coast Air
West Coast Air
West Coast Air is a scheduled airline operating de Havilland Canada float planes, with scheduled flights from downtown Vancouver and the Richmond Floatplane base at Vancouver International Airport to Victoria, Nanaimo, Comox, the Sunshine Coast, and Whistler. The company also flies tours and...
, they also operate de Havilland Beavers
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, primarily known as a bush plane. It is used for cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application , and has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft...
and de Havilland Twin Otters
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...
.
History
The airline was established and started operations in 1982 as Windoak Air Service to provide seaplaneSeaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
charter services for the forestry industry in British Columbia. In 1993, Harbour Air purchased Trans-Provincial Airlines
Trans-Provincial Airlines
Trans Provincial Airlines was an airline based in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, that was purchased in 1993 by Harbour Air.-References:*...
, added charter flights to resorts, and increased scheduled services. Today, Harbour Air refers to itself as the world's largest all-seaplane airline and became North America's first carbon neutral airline. A small subsidiary, Harbour Air Malta, was set up in June 2007 and a DHC-3 Turbo Otter floatplane is permanently based in Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
for scheduled flights to Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
and sightseeing trips around the islands. Harbour Air Magazine is the official in-flight magazine of Harbour Air.
On February 16, 2010, Deloitte Canada announced that Harbour Air was a winner of a 2009 Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies Award. This national award is sponsored by Deloitte, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
Commercial Banking, National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
and Queen's School of Business
Queen's School of Business
The Queen's School of Business is located in Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Since 2006, the Queen's School of Business MBA program has been ranked by Business Week number one internationally, outside the United States. The school of business became its own faculty in 1963 with its...
.
On March 31, 2010, Harbour Air completed the acquisition of West Coast Air successfully consolidated their terminal services.
On May 20, 2011, Harbour Air grounded its service from Victoria Harbour
Victoria Inner Harbour Airport
Victoria Harbour Airport or Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located in Victoria Harbour, adjacent to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
to Langley Regional Airport
Langley Regional Airport
Langley Regional Airport is located in Langley Township, British Columbia, Canada. The airport serves mostly general aviation, and also provided scheduled passenger service to the Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome via Harbour Air Seaplanes before service was ended on May 20, 2011...
due to low passenger numbers and fuel price surges.
Destinations
Destinations as of June 2011:- VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(Vancouver Harbour Water Airport)- VictoriaVictoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
(Victoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Harbour Airport or Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located in Victoria Harbour, adjacent to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
) - Nanaimo (Nanaimo Harbour Water Airport)
- Gulf IslandsGulf IslandsThe Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....
- Bedwell HarbourBedwell Harbour, British ColumbiaBedwell Harbour is a settlement in British Columbia....
(Bedwell Harbour Water AerodromeBedwell Harbour Water AerodromeBedwell Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located on Bedwell Harbour, British Columbia, Canada, in the southern part of Pender Island in the Gulf Islands....
), GangesGanges, British ColumbiaGanges, British Columbia is an unincorporated community on Salt Spring Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada.-History:Ganges Harbour, from which Ganges takes its name, was originally called Admiralty Bay but was renamed by Captain Richards in 1859 for the , which was at the Pacific...
(Ganges Water AerodromeGanges Water AerodromeGanges Water Aerodrome, , is located southeast of Ganges on Saltspring Island in British Columbia, Canada....
), Maple BayMaple Bay, British ColumbiaMaple Bay is a picturesque seaside community located in the Cowichan Valley of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A narrow inlet and surrounded by smooth, pebbled beaches, Maple Bay is home to marine activity all year round.... - SecheltSechelt, British ColumbiaThe District Municipality of Sechelt is on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, Sechelt is accessible to the mainland of British Columbia via a 40 minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25 minute drive from Langdale...
, near the abandoned Sechelt/Porpoise Bay Water AerodromeSechelt/Porpoise Bay Water AerodromeSechelt/Porpoise Bay Water Aerodrome, , was an airport located adjacent to Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. The airport was listed as abandoned in the 15 March 2007 Canada Flight Supplement.... - ComoxComox, British ColumbiaComox is a town of 12,000 people located on a small peninsula in the Georgia Strait on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil and abundant sea life attracted First Nations thousands of years ago, who called the area kw’umuxws...
, (Comox Water AerodromeComox Water AerodromeComox Water Aerodrome, , is located adjacent to Comox, British Columbia, Canada. The only air operation in the Comox Bay Marina is West Coast Air's 3x daily service to Vancouver, which has been operated since April 1, 2008....
)
- Victoria
- RichmondRichmond, British ColumbiaRichmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
(Vancouver International Water Airport)- Nanaimo (Nanaimo Harbour Water Airport)
- VictoriaVictoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
(Victoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Harbour Airport or Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located in Victoria Harbour, adjacent to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
) - SecheltSechelt, British ColumbiaThe District Municipality of Sechelt is on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, Sechelt is accessible to the mainland of British Columbia via a 40 minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25 minute drive from Langdale...
, near the abandoned Sechelt/Porpoise Bay Water AerodromeSechelt/Porpoise Bay Water AerodromeSechelt/Porpoise Bay Water Aerodrome, , was an airport located adjacent to Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. The airport was listed as abandoned in the 15 March 2007 Canada Flight Supplement.... - VictoriaVictoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
(Victoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Harbour Airport or Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located in Victoria Harbour, adjacent to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
)
- Nanaimo (Nanaimo Harbour Water Airport)
- SecheltSechelt, British ColumbiaThe District Municipality of Sechelt is on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, Sechelt is accessible to the mainland of British Columbia via a 40 minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25 minute drive from Langdale...
, near the abandoned Sechelt/Porpoise Bay Water AerodromeSechelt/Porpoise Bay Water AerodromeSechelt/Porpoise Bay Water Aerodrome, , was an airport located adjacent to Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. The airport was listed as abandoned in the 15 March 2007 Canada Flight Supplement....
- Sechelt
- VictoriaVictoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
(Victoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Inner Harbour AirportVictoria Harbour Airport or Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located in Victoria Harbour, adjacent to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
)- WhistlerWhistler, British ColumbiaWhistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
(Whistler/Green Lake Water AerodromeWhistler/Green Lake Water AerodromeWhistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome is located on Green Lake adjacent to Whistler, in British Columbia, Canada. It offers scenic tours, scheduled service to downtown Vancouver and general charter services. with DHC-3 Turbine Otter, DHC-2 Beaver and Cessna Caravan.-Airlines and destinations:...
)
- Whistler
Ltd. is Harbour Air's northern affiliate and offers the following flights with four de Havilland Beavers:
- MassetMasset, British ColumbiaMasset , formerly Massett, is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia. It is the western terminus of the Yellowhead Highway...
(Masset Water AerodromeMasset Water AerodromeMasset Water Aerodrome, , is located adjacent to Masset, British Columbia, Canada.The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than...
) - Queen CharlotteQueen Charlotte, British ColumbiaThe Village of Queen Charlotte, more commonly known as Queen Charlotte City, is a village municipality on Haida Gwaii in the province of British Columbia, Canada...
(Queen Charlotte City Water AerodromeQueen Charlotte City Water AerodromeQueen Charlotte City Water Aerodrome, , is located adjacent to Queen Charlotte City, British Columbia, Canada....
) - SandspitSandspit, British ColumbiaSandspit is the largest community on Moresby Island, in Haida Gwaii off the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. The unincorporated community had a population of 538 persons as of the 2001 census...
(Sandspit AirportSandspit AirportSandspit Airport, , is located northeast of Sandspit, British Columbia, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:...
) - Port Simpson (Port Simpson Water AerodromePort Simpson Water AerodromePort Simpson Water Aerodrome, , is located adjacent to Lax Kw'alaams , British Columbia, Canada....
) - Hartley BayHartley Bay, British ColumbiaHartley Bay is a First Nations community on the coast of British Columbia. The village is located at the mouth of Douglas Channel, about north of Vancouver and south of Prince Rupert...
(Hartley Bay Water AerodromeHartley Bay Water AerodromeHartley Bay Water Aerodrome is located adjacent to Hartley Bay, British Columbia, Canada....
) - KitkatlaKitkatla, British ColumbiaKitkatla is a small Tsimshian village situated approximately 45 km S.W. of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, on the north side of Dolphin Island. The village is accessible via Prince Rupert by regular float plane flights or by boat. It is home to the Kitkatla tribe of Tsimshians....
(Kitkatla Water AerodromeKitkatla Water AerodromeKitkatla Water Aerodrome, , is located adjacent to Kitkatla, British Columbia, Canada....
) - Prince RupertPrince Rupert, British ColumbiaPrince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
(Prince Rupert/Seal Cove Water Airport).
Fleet
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...
:
| Aircraft | Count HA |
Count TC |
Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
5 | 0 | DHC-6-100 | 18 passengers |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-3 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... |
18 | 16 | DHC-3-T Turbo Otter | 10-14 passengers |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, primarily known as a bush plane. It is used for cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application , and has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft... |
14 | 9 | Beaver I | 5-6 passengers |
| Cessna 185 Skywagon 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... |
1 | 2 | Cessna 180 | 1-3 passengers |
| Bell 206 Bell 206 The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected... |
0 | 1 | 206B | helicopter |
| Cessna 172 Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:... |
0 | 1 | 172M | 3 passengers |
| Robinson R44 Robinson R44 |-See also:-External links:* * * * * *... |
0 | 1 | II | helicopter |