- Source: Nordair
Nordair was a Quebec-based airline in Canada founded in 1947 from the merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation.
History
The airline operated from the 1940s to the 1980s. Initially, most of its business was international and transatlantic passenger and freight charters and other contracts. It also operated scheduled flights to a number of destinations in eastern Canada and the Northwest Territories. Nordair flew out of Montreal's two airports: initially from Dorval Airport, now Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, and later from Montréal–Mirabel International Airport as this latter airfield did not open until 1975. It was headquartered in Montreal with operations at Dorval, Quebec and their head office at 1320 Boulevard Graham in Mont Royal.
Nordair was operating scheduled passenger services in July 1959 utilizing Douglas DC-3 and Douglas DC-4 propeller aircraft with routings of Montreal - Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) - Cape Dyer Airport; Montreal - Roberval - Fort Chimo (now Kuujjuaq) - Frobisher Bay; and Montreal - Quebec City - Roberval - Chibougamau.
The airline was still operating scheduled passenger flights 20 years later. According to Nordair's July 1, 1979 system timetable and route map, jet service was being operated as far west as Winnipeg and as far north as the Resolute Bay Airport in the Canadian Arctic with a number of destinations in Ontario and Quebec in Canada being served including Montreal (via Dorval Airport), Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City, Hamilton, Ontario and Windsor, Ontario as well as Pittsburgh in the United States, primarily with Boeing 737-200 jetliners but also with Fairchild Hiller FH-227 turboprop aircraft. The airline was also operating scheduled passenger flights in 1975 with Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft primarily to destinations in Quebec. Nordair was continuing to operate scheduled passenger flights in 1986 primarily with Boeing 737-200 jets.
= Introduction of Boeing 737 jet aircraft
=The airline was operating Boeing 737-200 passenger jet service in 1969 in both scheduled and charter operations according to the June 15, 1970 Nordair system timetable which contained the following marketing message concerning its leisure charter flights: SUNNY HOLIDAYS - BLUE TAIL JET CHARTER FLIGHTS TO THE SUN....BARBADOS - JAMAICA - BAHAMAS - FLORIDA - MEXICO. This same timetable also lists scheduled passenger service operated by Nordair with the Boeing 737-200 between Montreal Dorval and Fort Chimo (now Kuujjuaq), Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit), Great Whale (now Kuujjuarapik), Hamilton and Resolute.
= Merger and aftermath
=Nordair was purchased by Canadian Pacific Air Lines which had operated as CP Air. On March 27, 1987, Pacific Western Airlines purchased Canadian Pacific Air Lines and then emerged as Canadian Airlines. The jet operation was absorbed into Canadian Airlines, while the turboprop operations were absorbed into Inter-Canadien. In 2000, that airline was acquired by Air Canada.
Intair, a scheduled passenger airline that was based in Canada and operated jet and turboprop aircraft, used Nordair's two letter "ND" airline code for its domestic flights in eastern Canada in 1989 until it ceased operations and went out of business.
Another company called Nordair Quebec 2000 Incorporated operated in 2000 as a domestic regional carrier and cargo operator in Quebec, but the licence and licence applications for the airline were suspended in 2006 by Transport Canada, and again the Nordair name disappeared from the airline industry
Destinations
The following destinations in Canada were served by Nordair with scheduled passenger flights during the airline's existence:
= Canada
=Ontario
Dryden, Dryden Regional Airport
Hamilton, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport
Kingston, Kingston Norman Rogers Airport
Oshawa, Oshawa Executive Airport
Ottawa, Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport
Sarnia, Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport
Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Ste. Marie Airport
Sudbury, Sudbury Airport
Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay International Airport
Toronto, Malton Airport
Windsor, Windsor International Airport
Quebec
Raglan Mines (Asbestos Hill / Deception Bay), Kattiniq/Donaldson Airport
Bagotville (La Baie), Bagotville Airport
Chibougamau, Chibougamau/Chapais Airport
Dolbeau, Dolbeau-Saint-Félicien Airport
Kuujjuaq (formerly known as Fort Chimo), Kuujjuaq Airport
Great Whale / Poste-de-la-Baleine (now Kuujjuarapik), Kuujjuarapik Airport
Matagami, Matagami Airport
Montreal, Montréal–Mirabel International Airport
Montreal, Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (Dorval Airport)
Quebec City, Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport
Radisson (La Grande), La Grande Rivière Airport
Roberval, Roberval Airport
Rouyn-Noranda, Rouyn-Noranda Airport
Val-d'Or, Val-d'Or Airport
Manitoba
Winnipeg, Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
Nunavut
Arctic Bay, Nanisivik Airport
Broughton Island (now Qikiqtarjuaq), Broughton Island Airport
Cape Dorset (now Kinngait), Cape Dorset Airport
Cape Dyer, Cape Dyer Airport
Clyde River / Cape Christian, Clyde River Airport
Coral Harbour, Coral Harbour Airport
Hall Beach (now Sanirajak), Hall Beach Airport
Igloolik, Igloolik Airport
Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit), Iqaluit Airport
Nanisivik, Nanisivik Airport
Pangnirtung, Pangnirtung Airport
Pelly Bay (now Kugaaruk), Kugaaruk Airport
Resolute, Resolute Bay Airport
Northwest Territories
Inuvik, Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport
Yellowknife, Yellowknife Airport
= Outside of Canada
=Most of the flights to the United States, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe were charter flights, as Nordair operated only a few scheduled passenger services outside of Canada.
North America
Barbados
Grantley Adams International Airport
The Bahamas
Grand Bahama, Grand Bahama International Airport
Varadero, Cuba
Jamaica
Mexico
Cancún, Cancún International Airport
United States
Detroit, Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport
Los Angeles, Los Angeles International Airport
Miami, Miami International Airport
New York City, John F. Kennedy International Airport
Omaha, Eppley Airfield
Orlando, Orlando International Airport
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh International Airport
Tampa Bay, St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport
SeaTac, Washington, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
Van Nuys, Van Nuys Airport
Europe
Amsterdam, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Athens, Ellinikon International Airport
Budapest, Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
Copenhagen, Copenhagen Airport
Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Airport
Frankfurt, Frankfurt Airport
Glasgow, Abbotsinch Airport
London, Gatwick Airport
Manchester, Manchester Airport
Shannon, Shannon Airport
= Military contract flight services
=Nordair served as an air service contractor to the Canadian Armed Forces, including ice reconnaissance missions flown with a Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft and United States Air Force support flights to Distant Early Warning Line stations from Alaska to Baffin Island.
Fleet
Nordair had the following aircraft registered by Transport Canada and listed in their timetables. Over the years they had at least 40 aircraft.
The Boeing 737 fleet included the combi aircraft version for mixed passenger/freight operations.
Nordair also operated de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter STOL capable turboprop aircraft during the early and mid 1970s in scheduled passenger service between the community of Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) and various local destinations in this region of the Canadian Arctic.
Another type operated by the airline was the Grumman G-73 Mallard amphibious aircraft which had been converted with turboprop engines and was capable of landing on both land and water (see above photo).
In addition, a division of Nordair, Nordair Metro, was operating Convair 580 turboprop aircraft in 1986.
Accidents and incidents
On 6 February 1973, the Douglas C-47B CF-HTH was damaged beyond economic repair when it was hit by a vehicle at an airport in Montreal.
On 15 November 1975, Douglas C-47 C-FCSC was damaged beyond economic repair by a fire at La Grande Rivière Airport, Radisson, Quebec.
On 31 March 1977 Lockheed L-188 Electra CF-NAZ, while parked on the ramp at CFB Summerside, was severely damaged when a Canadian Armed Forces CP-107 (tail 10737) attempted a three-engine landing in bad weather. She was later rebuilt in Van Nuys and re-registered as C-GNDZ.
See also
List of defunct airlines of Canada
References
External links
Nordair
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Daftar operator Boeing 737
- Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
- Bandar Udara Internasional Montréal–Mirabel
- Nordair
- Resolute Bay Airport
- Canadian North
- Finnair
- Frank Moores
- La Grande Rivière Airport
- Kattiniq/Donaldson Airport
- Convair 990 Coronado
- Thunder Bay International Airport
- Iqaluit Airport