Pacific Coastal Airlines
| |||||||
Founded | 1987 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hubs |
Vancouver International Airport Port Hardy Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 25[1] | ||||||
Destinations | 16[2] | ||||||
Headquarters |
Vancouver International Airport Richmond, British Columbia | ||||||
Key people | Smith family | ||||||
Website | http://www.pacificcoastal.com |
Pacific Coastal Airlines Ltd is a Canadian airline that operates scheduled, charter and cargo services to destinations in British Columbia. Its head office is located in the South Terminal of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia.[3] Its main base is Vancouver International Airport, with a hub at Port Hardy Airport.
History
The original Pacific Coastal Airlines was established in the 1960s, operating from its base at Cassidy Airport, now Nanaimo Airport, near Nanaimo.[4] In early 1980, the airline was acquired by Jim Pattison Industries and absorbed into Airwest Airlines, also recently acquired by Pattison.[5] At the time of the acquisition, Pacific Coastal was operating on the Nanaimo-Vancouver, Victoria-Nanaimo-Comox-Campbell River-Port Hardy, and Nanaimo-Qualicum-Port Alberni routes.[6] On November 1, 1980, Airwest and several other local airlines recently acquired by Pattison were merged into Air BC.[7]
The current Pacific Coastal Airlines was established in 1987 by the merger of Powell Air and the Port Hardy division of Air BC.[8] It acquired the shares and assets of Wilderness Airlines on April 1, 1998. As of 2015, it has over 300 employees.[9]
A new airline division Wilderness Seaplanes which started service on May 5, 2016 was established to take over the Pacific Coastal Airlines Seaplane Division and is Based at Port Hardy and Bella Bella.[10]
Destinations
Pacific Coastal Airlines operates services to the following destinations in British Columbia:[2]
- Anahim Lake (Anahim Lake Airport)
- Bella Bella (Bella Bella (Campbell Island) Airport)
- Bella Coola (Bella Coola Airport)
- Campbell River (Campbell River Airport)
- Comox (CFB Comox)
- Cranbrook (Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport)
- Kelowna (Kelowna International Airport)
- Klemtu
- Masset (Masset Airport)
- Port Hardy (Port Hardy Airport)
- Powell River (Powell River Airport)
- Prince George (Prince George Airport)
- Trail (Trail Airport)
- Vancouver (Vancouver International Airport)
- Victoria (Victoria International Airport)
- Williams Lake (Williams Lake Airport)
Fleet
As of August 2016, the Pacific Coastal Airlines fleet consisted of 22 aircraft, plus 3 registered to Wilderness Seaplanes:[1]
Aircraft | Count | Variants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Beechcraft 1900 | 9 | 1900C, 1900D | 19 passengers, based in Vancouver |
Beechcraft Super King Air | 1 | 200 | 8 passengers, based in Vancouver |
Cessna 185 | 1 | C-185F | 3 passengers, based in Port Hardy, operated by Wilderness Seaplanes |
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | 3 | DHC-2, DHC-2 MK. I | 4 passengers, based in Port Hardy, operated by Wilderness Seaplanes |
Grumman Goose | 4 | G-21A | 9 passengers, based in Port Hardy, includes 2 craft operated by Wilderness Seaplanes |
Saab 340 | 7 | 340A, 340B | 30 or 34 passengers, based in Vancouver |
Incidents and accidents
- On August 3, 2008, a Grumman G-21 Goose aircraft with seven passengers and crew crashed during a flight from Port Hardy to Chamiss Bay. The aircraft was completely destroyed by a fire. There were only two survivors.[11]
- On November 16, 2008 a Grumman Goose aircraft with 8 passengers and crew crashed during a flight from Vancouver International Airport to Toba Inlet, BC. The plane exploded into a mass of burning wreckage according to the lone survivor. This person was rescued by the Coast Guard on South Thormanby Island off British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.[12][13][14][15]
References
- 1 2 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Pacific Coastal Airlines". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2016-08-18. "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Wilderness Seaplanes". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- 1 2 Pacific Coastal Airlines: Destinations Retrieved February 2015
- ↑ "Contact Us." Pacific Coastal Airlines. Retrieved on December 4, 2011. "Pacific Coastal Airlines Head Office Vancouver International Airport - South Terminal 4440 Cowley Crescent Unit 204 Richmond BC V7B 1B8"
- ↑ FLIGHT International. March 20, 1976, p.703.
- ↑ Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle (Ladysmith, British Columbia). February 6, 1980, p.17
- ↑ North Island Gazette (Port Hardy, British Columbia). February 20, 1980, p.15
- ↑ FLIGHT International. November 7, 1981, p.1388.
- ↑ Schofield, Jack. A Pilot's Journey Log: Daryl Smith and Pacific Coastal Airlines. Mayne Island, BC: CoastDog Press, 2010.
- ↑ About
- ↑ Pacific Coastal Airlines announces new Seaplane Division, Wilderness Seaplanes Ltd. January 24, 2016
- ↑ CBC: Investigators head to site of B.C. plane crash that killed 5 3 August 2008
- ↑ CBC: 7 Dead In Plane Crash Off B.C. Coast 16 November 2008
- ↑ Vancouver Sun: Thick fog may be to blame for B.C. crash 17 November 2008
- ↑ Daily Commercial News: Victims of Thormanby Island plane crash identified 19 November 2008
- ↑ CTV: A look inside the doomed B.C. plane 17 November 2008
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pacific Coastal Airlines. |