New Canadian North airline takes flight today

Screen capture of a Canadian North video showing off the new design on its planes.

Starting today, you will no longer find a First Air check in desk at the Yellowknife airport.

Canadian North and First Air will now be operating as a single airline.

The new airline will continue to be known as Canadian North.

In June, the federal government approved the merger of the two companies with a few conditions, including no fee increases and no reduction in flight schedules.

With that being said, the new airline will serve 24 communities, the majority being in the NWT and Nunavut.

The merger process is expected to take two years to complete.

Some of the initial changes include a new redesigned website, a combined check-in desk, and cargo facility at the airport.

For Yellowknife, the existing First Air Cargo facility on Bristol Avenue will continue to operate as the new Canadian North cargo drop off.

The new Canadian North will continue to be 100 per cent Inuit-owned.

Plane painting

Today is a big day for our Airline, our company, our employees and most importantly our customers! What a journey it has been and we are excited to be here as your NEW Canadian North! If you've ever wondered what it looks like to have a plane repainted, we'll leave this little clip right here..enjoy!

Posted by Canadian North Airlines, Fly The Arctic on Friday, November 1, 2019

About the Author

Francis Tessier-Burns
Francis was a reporter with CKLB from January 2019 to March 2023. In his time with CKLB, he had the immense pleasure and honour of learning about northern Indigenous cultures.