Canadian North and First Air unite to launch unified flight schedule

After many months of planning and preparation, Canadian North and First Air have launched their first-ever combined flight schedule, with all flights within it now marketed and sold under the unified name ‘Canadian North.’ From today onwards, Canadian North customers will be able to travel and ship across its vast network of 24 northern communities, from its southern gateways of Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton, with seamless interline connections to destinations throughout Canada, the US and beyond. To view this new schedule, please click here.

In conjunction with this schedule launch, Canadian North has also consolidated its reservations systems, airport check-in processes and cargo services. This means that:

Canadian North will now serve its customers with a single redesigned website - canadiannorth.com - which replaces the previous Canadian North and First Air websites. Canadian North will also offer a single Customer Contact Centre telephone number for all passenger and cargo enquiries, 1.800.267.1247.

First Air and Canadian North to merge

It was confirmed last week that First Air and Canadian North are to merge, subject to government regulatory approvals. If all goes well, the two will complete the merger before the end of this year in a move that has been touted as a way to provide the best possible air services across the Arctic. 

Should regulators give the go-ahead, the proposed Pan-Arctic airline will ditch the iconic and immediately internationally recognisable brand of 'First Air' and simply be known as "Canadian North". Confusingly, the aircraft will feature the new First Air livery, including its Inukshuk logo as shown above and the company plans to be based and headquartered in Ottawa. 

There will be changes to routes and schedules, although these have not been released yet and should the merger go ahead, the airlines have committed to keeping customers up-to-date on all developments related to schedules and commercial flights on an ongoing basis.

The plan for the new wholly Inuit-owned airline is to offer more flights to more destinations and boost Arctic tourism in the communities it serves by increasing demand for tourist-related businesses and services. Although the news of the proposed merger has caused one international inbound travel firm to suspend sales of 2019 tour programme involving First Air flights until a clearer picture is known.

First Air announces proposal for growth to Canada's Arctic

 In partnership with The Ottawa Airport Authority and Aeroterm, First Air submitted two separate applications to the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF). This Government of Canada program was announced mid-2017 to provide funding for infrastructure projects that help support the flow of goods and passengers throughout the transportation system by reducing bottlenecks and addressing capacity issues. Ensuring that Canada's northern communities benefit from these important infrastructure projects was identified as an important priority for the NTCF.
First Air, a wholly Inuit-owned airline, is a vital link in the supply chain to the North; in the past year, First Air shipped an incredible 19.4 million metric tons of cargo freight out of Ottawa to Canada's Arctic communities, including food, mail, medical supplies and other goods. With cargo demands expected to increase by 28% over the next five years, First Air needs to ensure capacity exists at both ends of the process to support this growth.
The first proposal addresses capacity issues at First Air's cargo facilities in Ottawa, which are located on the grounds of the Ottawa International Airport, by increasing warehousing and refrigeration capacity and modernizing technology aimed at reducing spoilage and delayed shipments. In keeping with Canada's focus on transportation security, the expansion would ensure compliance with federal security screening requirements.