First Air gets set to modernize its fleet

First Air currently counts the ATR 42-300 series among its fleet, but a restructuring plan could change that.

Travellers throughout the North can look forward to seeing newer and sleeker First Air aircraft soaring into the skies.

First Air said March 12 that the airline wants to upgrade its current fleet and phase out certain aircraft models.

“The goal is to modernize the fleet while decreasing the number of aircraft types in use, thereby reducing maintenance costs and complexity in its operations,” the airline said in a news release.

To do that, First Air is looking at both the ATR 42-500 as well as its Bombardier Q400 models as potential replacements for its turboprop models, the ATR 72 and the ATR 42-300 series.

The airline said that up to 10 of those newer models could be ordered by the end of 2015 to expand and also replace older generation ATRs.

First Air president and CEO Brock Friesen said the airline has been “impaired” for years by having to maintain a variety of aircraft types.

“In a fleet of just over 20, we currently need to train personnel and stockpile parts for a total of six aircraft types”, he said.

“In the near future, First Air will concentrate on two aircraft types only.”

The company, a privately-held subsidiary of the Makivik Corp., called its fleet upgrades a multi-million dollar investment.

Beyond the ATR replacement, the airline is also looking at the idea of acquiring more Boeing 737-400 jets.

“Besides the ATR replacement, we have embarked on an ambitious study to determine how many additional
B737-400 aircraft will be needed,” the company said.

As part of the airline’s restructuring, First Air transferred its sole Boeing 767 freighter to Cargojet in 2014, which operates up to four flights per week for the airline.

More recently, the airline sold both of its Hercules C130 freighters due to the high cost of operating those aircraft and low demand for their services.