Keewatin Air wins medevac contract for western Nunavut

A specially-equipped Nunavut Lifeline Learjet used for Keewatin Air’s air ambulance service in the Baffin region on display at an air show in Iqaluit. Keewatin Air, a subsidiary of Exchange Income Corp., operates the Nunavut Lifeline medevac service in the Kivalliq and Baffin regions. With the addition of the Kitikmeot region later this year, the company’s medevac operation will serve all of Nunavut. (FILE PHOTO)

By the end of this year, Kitikmeot residents will start receiving services from a new medevac provider: Nunavut Lifeline.

The Government of Nunavut has awarded a five-year medevac contract for the Kitikmeot region to Keewatin Air, the well-known northern air carrier that operates its air ambulance service under the name Nunavut Lifeline, the airline’s parent company, Exchange Income Corp., announced May 9.

That means that by the end of this year, Aqsaqniq Airways Ltd., whose operating partner is Discovery Air subsidiary Air Tindi Ltd., will be out of the medevac business in the Kitikmeot.

The Discovery Air-Aqsaqniq partnership won the contract in 2011, replacing Adlair Aviation Ltd., who had performed the service in the Kitikmeot for 20 years.

That contract award eventually led to a lawsuit launched by Adlair against the GN that is still before the courts.

Exchange Income Corp. released the medevac contract news within its financial statements for January to March 2017.

Keewatin Air, through its Nunavut Lifeline air ambulance service, already holds medevac contracts for the Baffin and Kivalliq regions.

“Replacing the incumbent for this contract now means Keewatin has all three regions of Nunavut under contract,” EIC said.

“Keewatin’s performance on their two other Nunavut contracts laid the foundation for this contract win, and adding the third contract positions Keewatin extremely well for the future,” the parent company said.

At its base in Iqaluit, the company has a 20,000 square-foot hangar and a fleet of five aircraft: two Learjets, two King Air 200s and a Pilatus PC12.

In Rankin Inlet, the company maintains two heated hangars and two King Airs. The company also operates bases in Churchill and Winnipeg.

It’s not yet clear what they will install in Cambridge Bay to service the contract but throughout 2017, the company will “ramp up staffing and equipment” so that they can start offering medevacs in the Kitikmeot by end of this year, EIC said.

“Not only does this further establish Keewatin as the pre-eminent northern medevac provider, but it also expands our territory further west opening up additional opportunities for the future. Work under this contract will begin in the fourth quarter,” EIC said.

The GN issued a request for proposals for the Kitikmeot medevac contract in July of 2016, but has yet to announce the contract award.

It’s not clear how much it’s worth but previous five-year Kitikmeot medevac contracts have been estimated as being worth roughly $30 million over the life of the contract.

EIC is also the owner of Calm Air, Perimeter Aviation, Bearskin Airlines, Custom Helicopters and some manufacturing companies.