Air Inuit

Air Inuit
Air Inuit headquarters at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport
IATA ICAO Call sign
3H AIE INUIT
FoundedNovember 1978; 47 years ago (1978-11)
AOC #Canada 2955,
United States ILLF043F
Operating bases
Isaruuk Reward Program
Fleet size37
Destinations21
Parent companyMakivik Corporation
HeadquartersSaint-Laurent, Quebec
Key peopleChristian Busch (President, Air Inuit)
Websitewww.airinuit.com

Air Inuit (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔪᖏᑦ) is an airline headquartered in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It operates domestic passenger services and charter and cargo services in Nunavik, southern Quebec, and Nunavut. Its main base is Kuujjuaq Airport.

History

The airline was established and started operations in 1978 using a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft. The airline is collectively owned by the Inuit of Nunavik through Makivvik.

In 1984 it acquired Chaparal Charters and its fleet of two Twin Otters and one Douglas DC-3.

In 2012, Air Inuit relocated their headquarters to a new multi-purpose facility on Côte-Vertu Boulevard near the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.

In 2016, Air Inuit pilot Melissa Haney became the first female Inuk pilot to reach the rank of captain. She was featured on a commemorative postage stamp released by the Canadian Ninety-Nines.

In 2023, Air Inuit announced the retirement of its Boeing 737-200 Combi aircraft. The airline will replace the Boeing 737-200 with three Boeing 737-800 Combi aircraft.

Destinations

Air Inuit operates scheduled services to the following domestic destinations (July 2023):

Scheduled flights

Province Community/City IATA ICAO Airport Notes
NunavutSanikiluaqYSKCYSKSanikiluaq Airport
QuebecAkulivikAKVCYKOAkulivik Airport
AupalukYPJCYLAAupaluk Airport
InukjuakYPHCYPHInukjuak Airport
IvujivikYIKCYIKIvujivik Airport
KangiqsualujjuaqXGRCYLUKangiqsualujjuaq (Georges River) Airport
KangiqsujuaqYWBCYKGKangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay) Airport
KangirsukYKGCYASKangirsuk Airport
KuujjuaqYVPCYVPKuujjuaq Airport Hub
KuujjuarapikYGWCYGWKuujjuarapik Airport
MontrealYULCYULMontréal–Trudeau International Airport Hub
PuvirnituqYPXCYPXPuvirnituq Airport Hub
QuaqtaqYQCCYHAQuaqtaq Airport
Quebec CityYQBCYQBQuébec City Jean Lesage International Airport
Radisson (La Grande)YGLCYGLLa Grande Rivière Airport
SalluitYZGCYZGSalluit Airport
ScheffervilleYKLCYKLSchefferville Airport
Sept-ÎlesYZVCYZVSept-Îles Airport
TasiujaqYTQCYTQTasiujaq Airport
UmiujaqYUDCYMUUmiujaq Airport

Charters

Air Inuit also offers other charter services to anywhere in North America.

Fleet

Current

As of June 2025, the Air Inuit fleet includes the following aircraft:

Air Inuit fleet
AircraftNumberOrdersVariantsNotes
Beechcraft Super King Air3-300 SeriesListed as 350 at Air Inuit, 11 passengers
Boeing 7375-200 SeriesCombi aircraft, able to operate from gravel airstrips, 112 passengers. To be retired and replaced by the 800 Series of the Boeing 737 Next Generation.
Boeing 737 Classic2-300 SeriesUp to 130 passengers
Boeing 737 Next Generation3–800 Series
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter7-300 Series3,200 lb (1,500 kg) cargo, 19 passengers
De Havilland Canada Dash 817-100 Series, 300 SeriesThree 100 Series combi aircraft, 37 seat maximum, 7,800 lb (3,500 kg) cargo; twelve 300 Series combi and cargo aircraft, 45 seat maximum, 13,500 lb (6,100 kg)
Total 37 0

Air Inuit also has access to a Eurocopter Écureuil (Aerospatiale ASTAR 350) through Nunavik Rotors and a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter through Johnny May's Air Charters.

On 1 March 2016, Bombardier Inc. announced that Air Inuit would be the launch customer for the Bombardier Q300 Large Cargo Door freighter.

Aircraft types

Former

Previously Air Inuit have also flown the following aircraft:


Accidents and incidents

References

  1. ↑ "The Airline Codes Website". airlinecodes.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "ICAO Designators for Canadian Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services" (PDF). Nav Canada. 20 May 2025. p. 1. Retrieved 24 February 2023. Air Inuit: AIE, INUIT
  3. ↑ Transport Canada (29 August 2019), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
  4. ↑ "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Air Inuit". Transport Canada. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Destinations". Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Contact Information". Air Inuit. 2 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. 6005, boul. de la Côte-Vertu Montréal (Québec) H4S 0B1
  8. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 58.
  9. ↑ Gaining Altitude at High Latitudes Airliner World December 2023 pages 34-41
  10. 1 2 "Air Inuit - History". www.airinuit.com. Air Inuit. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Chaparal Charters". Airline History. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Air Inuit's 1st female Inuk captain lands commemorative stamp". CBC News. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Air Inuit To Retire and Replace Iconic Boeing 737-200". AeroXplorer. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "Charter an Aircraft". www.airinuit.com. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Our Fleet". Air Inuit. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  16. 1 2 Air Inuit (3 July 2023). "Fleet Modernization - Air Inuit Ratifies an Agreement to Acquire Three Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 Aircraft to Better Serve the People of Nunavik and Beyond" (PDF). airinuit.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Air Inuit to be Launch Customer for Bombardier Q300 Freighter with a Large Cargo Door". bombardier.com. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "CCAR - History Search Result for Air Inuit". 28 August 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "C-FIRW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2010.