avia.wikisort.org - Airline

Harbour Air Seaplanes is a scheduled floatplane service, tour and charter airline based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The predominantly seaplane airline specializes in routes between Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Sechelt, Comox, Whistler and the Gulf Islands, primarily with de Havilland Canada floatplanes. Along with Westcoast Air, Salt Spring Air and Whistler Air, it operates de Havilland Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters.

Harbour Air Seaplanes

Turbo Otter at Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre
IATA ICAO Callsign YB[1] HARBOUR EXPRESS
Founded	1982
AOC #	Canada: 4001[a][2] Tantalus Air: 17401[3] United States: 1H6F426F[4]
Hubs	Vancouver Harbour Victoria Inner Harbour
Secondary hubs	Vancouver International Nanaimo Harbour
Focus cities	Vancouver, Richmond, Victoria, Nanaimo, Sechelt, Comox, Whistler, Gulf Islands
Frequent-flyer program	High Flyer Rewards, Air Bucks Program, Quickticket Discounts
Fleet size	40,[5] 43[6]
Destinations	18[7]
Headquarters	Richmond, British Columbia
Key people	Greg McDougall, CEO Peter Evans, President
Website	harbourair.com

History

The airline was established and started operations in 1982 as Windoak Air Service to provide seaplane charter services for the forestry industry in British Columbia. In 1993, Harbour Air purchased Trans-Provincial Airlines, added charter flights to resorts, and increased scheduled services. Today, Harbour Air refers to itself as the world's largest all-seaplane airline and became North America's first carbon neutral airline.[8] A small subsidiary, Harbour Air Malta, was set up in June 2007 and a DHC-3 Turbo Otter floatplane is permanently based in Valletta, Malta for scheduled flights to Gozo and sightseeing trips around the islands.[9] Harbour Air Magazine is the official in-flight magazine of Harbour Air.[10]

On May 9, 2012 Harbour Air purchased Whistler Air.[11]

In September 2013, Harbour Air launched a land-based charter carrier, Tantalus Air.[12][13]

In November 2015, Harbour Air purchased Salt Spring Air.

Harbour Air and Kenmore Air started a new seaplane service between Downtown Vancouver, and Downtown Seattle on April 26, 2018

In March 2019, Harbour Air announced a partnership with magniX to electrify the entire Harbour Air fleet over the long term.[14] Harbour Air has noted that its initial electric-powered commercial flights will be on routes of under 30 minutes' duration.[15] The first converted aircraft was a DHC-2 Beaver which serves as the test prototype for the magniX motor, energy storage, and control systems.[14] The prototype flew for the first time on December 10, 2019.[16][17] The company hopes to have the aircraft certified for commercial use by 2021.[18][19]

In 2007, Harbour Air became the first airline in North America to achieve complete carbon neutrality in both flight services and corporate operations. Teamed up with Vancouver-based Offsetters, the airline started to include a carbon offset on each ticket used to mitigate the environmental impact of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG's) associated with the flight. The funds are invested in renewable energy projects.[20]

On February 16, 2010, Deloitte Canada announced that Harbour Air was a winner of a 2009 Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies Award.[21] This national award is sponsored by Deloitte, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Post and Queen's School of Business.

On March 31, 2010, Harbour Air completed the acquisition of Westcoast Air and consolidated their terminal services.[22]

On May 20, 2011, Harbour Air grounded its service from Victoria Harbour to Langley Regional Airport due to low passenger numbers and fuel price surges.[23]

In November 2015, Salt Spring Air was purchased by the Harbour Air Group. Salt Spring Air's fleet now joins Harbour Air, Westcoast Air and Whistler Air and now claims to be largest seaplane airline in the world.[24]

Electric aviation

In March 2019, Harbour Air announced plans to convert an aircraft to run on electricity, which would serve as a test prototype during a two-year duration regulatory approval process, and eventually hopes to convert its entire fleet to electric propulsion. The first plane to be converted is a DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver.[25]

The electric prototype made its first flight over 4 minutes off the Fraser River near Vancouver on December 10, 2019. The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior piston engine of the six-passenger ePlane is replaced by a 750 hp (559 kW), 135 kg (297 lb) magni500, with swappable batteries allowing 30 min flights plus 30 min of reserve power. Harbour Air wants to convert all its 34 aircraft, including Beavers and PT6-powered Otters and Twin Otters.[26]

The plane completed its first point-to-point flight, from Vancouver to Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome near Sidney on Vancouver Island, on August 18, 2022, travelling 72 km in 24 minutes.[27] The aircraft was displayed at the BC Aviation Museum open house on August 20.

Awards and accolades

Harbour Air has won the following awards:[28]^{[non-primary source needed]}

• 2009 to 2014 – Canada's Best Managed Companies
• 2009 to 2011 – BC's Top 55 Employers^{[citation needed]}
• 2011 – BC's Top 100 Employers for Young People^{[citation needed]}
• 2011 – Business of the Year: Victoria Chamber of Commerce^{[citation needed]}
• 2011 – Canada Tourism Commission Signature Experience Award
• 2011/2016 – Business of the Year on Vancouver Island: Business Examiner / Business Vancouver Island
• 2012 – Cumberbatch Award: Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
• 2012/2015 – Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures
• 2015 – Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce Business Awards – Outstanding Customer Service
• 2015 – VISA Canada Traveller Experience of the Year/Tourism Industry Association of Canada^{[citation needed]}

Destinations

As of February 2021, Harbour Air serves the following destinations:[7]

Country	City	Airport	Notes
Canada (British Columbia)	Comox	Comox Water Aerodrome
	Maple Bay (Duncan)	Maple Bay Marina
	Nanaimo	Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome
	Powell River	Powell Lake Water Aerodrome
	Richmond	Vancouver International Water Airport
	Salt Spring Island/Ganges	Ganges Water Aerodrome
	Sechelt/Sunshine Coast (Lighthouse Pub)	Sechelt/Porpoise Bay Water Aerodrome
	Tofino	Tofino Harbour Water Aerodrome
	Vancouver	Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre
	Victoria	Victoria Inner Harbour Airport
	Whistler	Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome	Seasonal
USA (Washington)	Seattle	Seattle Lake Union Seaplane Base

Fleet

As of February 2021, the Harbour Air fleet consisted of 40 aircraft and 42 registered with Transport Canada:[5][6]

Harbour Air

Aircraft	No. of aircraft (HA list)[5]	No. of aircraft (TC list[6])	Passengers	Notes
Bell 407	0	1	—	Helicopter registered to Tantalus Air
Cessna 172M	0	1	3
Cessna 180J	0	1	—	Registered to West Coast Air
Cessna 208B Caravan	1	1	9	Operated by Tantalus Air and still registered to them
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver	14	14	6	On December 10, 2019, the eBeaver flew for the first time, powered by a Magni500
de Havilland Canada DHC-3-T Turbo Otter	22	21	14
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otter	3	2	19
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter		2	19
Total	40	43

In addition, Transport Canada lists a Cessna 185 Skywagon but with a cancelled certificate.[29]

Gallery

See also

• List of seaplane operators

Explanatory notes

¹ AOC number is used for Harbour Air Seaplanes, Whistler Air, Saltspring Air and West Coast Air.

References

External links

• Official website

На других языках

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[de] Harbour Air

Harbour Air, im Außenauftritt Harbour Air Seaplanes, mit Sitz in Richmond, Kanada, ist nach Trans Maldivian Airways die weltweit zweitgrößte Wasserfluggesellschaft. Sie besitzt fast nur mit Schwimmern ausgerüstete Flugzeuge. Als erste kommerzielle Fluggesellschaft hat Harbour Air im März 2019 die komplette Umstellung seiner Flotte auf Elektroantrieb angekündigt.[1]

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- [en] Harbour Air Seaplanes

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[fr] Harbour Air

Harbour Air est une compagnie aérienne basée à Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique, Canada. Ayant la particularité de n'utiliser que des hydravions, elle offre des vols réguliers et des charters de passager dans la Colombie-Britannique.

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[ru] Harbour Air

Harbour Air — канадская чартерная авиакомпания со штаб-квартирой в городе Ричмонд (Британская Колумбия), работающая на чартерных, туристических и грузовых маршрутах из Ванкувера, Виктории и Нанаймо.

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