Photo: First Air’s first ATR 42-500 takes flight

First Air’s first ATR 42-500 aircraft, the airline’s first ATR 500 series plane, was to have taken off on inaugural flights from Yellowknife to Hay River and from Yellowknife to Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay Feb. 9. The 42-seater all-passenger aircraft is able to operate on gravel runways. Later this year, First Air will introduce ATR 42-500 combi aircraft that can be configured to handle cargo. The introduction of the 500 series ATRs, which will gradually replace the airline’s 300-series ATRs, is part of a $110 million investment program aimed at reversing the fortunes of the struggling northern airline. (PHOTO COURTESY OF FIRST AIR)