Inter-Canadien was a Canadian airline headquartered in Montreal, Quebec.

History

Inter-Canadien traces its roots back to Quebecair

Quebecair

Quebecair was a Canadian airline that operated from 1947 until 1986. Quebecair was headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, now a part of Montreal.-Company history:...

, which was founded in 1949. Quebecair grew to become a second tier regional airline, operating BAC One-Eleven

BAC One-Eleven

The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...

 jets and Fokker F27 Friendship turboprops on routes throughout the province of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 and into New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

. In 1986 Quebecair was purchased by PWA Corporation, the parent of Canadian Airlines International, and merged with the regional subsidiary of Nordair

Nordair

Nordair is a defunct Quebec-based regional airline founded in 1947 from the merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation. The airline operated from the 1950s to the 1980s. Most of its business was international and transatlantic passenger and freight charters and other contracts. It also...

, another Montreal-based airline that had also been acquired by PWA Corporation.

In the late 1980s Inter-Canadien rolled over its fleet, becoming the North American launch customer for the Fokker 100 regional jet and the first Canadian operator of the ATR 42

ATR 42

-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....

 turboprop. At the same time, Canadian Airlines International sold control of Inter-Canadien to local businessman Michel Leblanc

Michel Leblanc

Michel Leblanc is a Canadian "serial entrepreneur" responsible for starting up seven failed airlines in 20 years, including Quebecair, Royal Aviation and, the most recent airline to go bankrupt, Jetsgo on March 11, 2005.-References:...

, but the airline continued to operate as a code-share partner of Canadian.

In 1990 Inter-Canadien cancelled its code share agreement and began competing with Canadian Airlines International and Air Canada

Air Canada

Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...

 on high density routes between Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and Halifax. This new business plan was a failure, ending with Inter-Canadien entering court protection in 1991. Canadian Airlines International then repurchased the airline, returning it to its role as Canadian's Quebec feeder airline, disposing of the Fokker F.100s and standardizing the fleet on the ATR 42. In 1996 Inter-Canadien became a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Regional Airlines

Canadian Regional Airlines

Canadian Regional Airlines was an airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is now part of Air Canada Jazz.- Former Code Data :*IATA Code: KI*ICAO Code: CDR*Callsign: Canadian Regional- History :...

, then the largest regional carrier in Canada and itself owned by Canadian Airlines International.

In September 1998, Canadian Regional sold Inter-Canadien to Canadian Investors Group, a Toronto-based investment company owned by Robert Myhill and his partners. At the same time, Canadian Airlines International cancelled its code-share agreement with Air Atlantic

Air Atlantic

Air Atlantic was a Canadian airline, operating a fleet of BAe 146-200, BAe 4100 and Dash 8-100 aircraft. The airline also operated Dash 7 aircraft at the inception while waiting for their first Dash 8's. The Airline was an Atlantic Provinces feeder airline for Canadian Pacific Airlines, then...

 and transferred Air Atlantic's routes in Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...

 to Inter-Canadien. It also transferred a number of Canadian Regional Airlines routes in 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....

. As a result, Inter-Canadien almost doubled in size, increasing its fleet from ten ATR 42 to 16 ATRs and three Fokker F28 Fellowship regional jets, to operate on a route network that reached from St, John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

, Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

 in the east to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...

 in the west. In July 1999, the airline announced an order for six modern Embraer ERJ 135 regional jets.

Inter-Canadien suspended operations in December 1999, concurrent with the collapse of its code-share partner, Canadian Airlines International (which was acquired by Air Canada). The airline entered bankruptcy in April 2000. It's hangar facilities and maintenance licenses were acquired by ExelTech Aerospace.

Fleet

• ATR-42-300
  ATR 42
  -Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
  
   (1988-1999)
• Fokker F28 Fellowship (1998-1999)
• Fokker 100 (1987-1991)

Hubs and Destinations

When it ceased operations in December 1999, Inter-Canadian was flying to 28 destinations in 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...

:

• Ontario
  • Kingston
  • London
  • Sault Ste Marie
  • Ottawa
  • Toronto (hub)
• Quebec
  • Bagotville
  • Baie Comeau
  • Chibougamau
  • Gaspe
  • Iles de la Madeilaine
  • La Grande
  • Mont Joli
  • Montreal (hub)
  • Quebec City
  • Rouyn-Noranda
  • Sept-Iles
  • Val d'Or
• Atlantic Canada
  • Charlo
  • Charlottetown
  • Chatham
  • Deer Lake
  • Fredericton
  • Halifax (hub)
  • Moncton
  • Saint John
  • St John's
  • Stephenville
  • Sydney
  • Wabush