Passengers of the inaugural Canadian North flight from Yellowknife to Calgary got a warm welcome at the Calgary International Airport on Tuesday morning.
Canadian North relaunched direct flights between Calgary and Yellowknife this week.
Canadian North is an Inuit-owned company, jointly owned by the NWT’S Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Makivik Corporation.
“It benefits our communities in a way that is really awesome, because any profits that are made by the company are reinvested into the communities by our owners,” says Michael Rodyniuk, the president and CEO of Canadian North. “So it’s not going to some anonymous shareholder on the Toronto Stock Exchange, it’s actually going to make life better in these communities that we serve.”
(Ian Down/CKLB photo)
A few dozen passengers were on board for the inaugural service to Alberta’s capital. Upon arrival, they were greeted with a small reception and gifted with their own Smithbilt white felt hats, a traditional symbol of Calgarian hospitality.
Rodyniuk estimates tapping this market will bring in $2.5 to 3 million per year if the demand is there. He told CKLB the airline is entertaining other ideas for new routes, but said he wasn’t prepared to share any details. He told True North FM Canadian North had signed an agreement with the Government of Greenland, and would soon provide flights to places like Nuuk and Ilulissat.
Service to Calgary is now available seven days a week.
