Nordair
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| Founded | 1947 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1987 | ||||||
| Fleet size | 21+ | ||||||
| Destinations | Canada, United States | ||||||
| Headquarters | Dorval, Quebec | ||||||
| Key people | Fernand “Frank” Henley, Founder and VP Operations | ||||||
Nordair (IATA: ND, ICAO: NDR, Call sign: Nordair) was a Quebec-based regional airline 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 the Northwest Territories. Nordair initially flew out of Montreal's two airports: Dorval Airport (now Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport) and Montréal-Mirabel International Airport. It was headquartered in Montreal (operations at Dorval, Quebec and head office at 1320 Boulevard Graham in Mont Royal).[1]
Merger and aftermath
Nordair was purchased by Canadian Pacific Air Lines. On March 27, 1987, Pacific Western Airlines purchased Canadian Pacific Air Lines and emerged as Canadian Airlines, which was acquired by Air Canada in 2000. The jet operation was absorbed into Canadian Airlines, while the turboprop operations were absorbed into Inter-Canadien.
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 once again the Nordair name disappeared from the airline industry
Destinations
Some of the following destinations were flown by Nordair during the airline's existence, mostly in Canada:
Canada
Outside Canada
Many of the flights to the US and Europe were chartered flights, as Nordair had few scheduled flights outside of Canada.
- Grand Bahama Island - from Hamilton
- select Caribbean locations
- Mexico, especially Cancun
- Orlando - from Toronto
- Fort Lauderdale - scheduled
- Miami, Florida
- St. Petersburg, Florida-Clearwater, Florida
- Van Nuys, California
- Los Angeles, California
- Seattle, Washington
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Pittsburgh - scheduled
- Frankfurt
- Amsterdam
- Düsseldorf
- London Gatwick Airport
- Shannon, Ireland
Non-revenue
Nordair was contractor to the Canadian Forces (reconnaissance) and United States Air Force (flights to DEW stations from Alaska to Baffin Island.[2]
Fleet
| Aircraft |
|---|
| Boeing 737-242 and 2Q8, 2H4, 212, 296, 2T4, 242C, 2Q9, 2E1 |
| Convair 990-30A-5 |
| C-46-1CU Commando |
| Douglas DC-6B |
| Douglas DC-3 |
| Douglas DC-4 |
| Douglas DC-8-52, 71 |
| Fairchild FH-227D, 227B, 227E |
| Lockheed L-1049H-03 Super Constellation |
| Lockheed L-188C Electra |
| Douglas DC-8-61CF |
| BAC One-Eleven |
| Short SC.7 Skyvan |
| Total about 24 aircraft |
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.[3]
- On 15 November 1975, Douglas C-47 C-FCSC was damaged beyond economic repair by a fire at La Grande Rivière Airport, Radisson, Quebec.[4]
- On 31 March 1977 L-188 CF-NAZ, while parked on the ramp at CFB Summerside, was severely damaged when a Canadian Forces CP-107 (tail 10737) attempted a three-engine landing in weather. She was later rebuilt in Van Nuys and re-registered as C-GNDZ.
References
- ↑ World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 20, 1975. "495.
- ↑ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OTN8yb5Kb2sJ:www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%2520-%25200773.html+Nordair+Toronto+to+Orlando&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=firefox-a&source=www.google.ca Flight International 1986 - p113
- ↑ "CF-HTH Hull-loss description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ↑ "C-FCSC Hull-loss description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nordair. |
