Wasaya Airways
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 A Hawker Siddeley HS 748 parked in front of the Red Lake hangar | |||||||
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| Founded | 1989 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | 11802[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | Pickle Lake Airport Red Lake Airport Sioux Lookout Airport Thunder Bay Airport[3] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 14[4][5] | ||||||
| Destinations | 24[6] | ||||||
| Parent company | Wasaya Group Inc. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Thunder Bay, Ontario | ||||||
| Key people | Paul Disley (President and CEO)[7] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Wasaya Airways LP (or in Oji-Cree ᐙᐦᓭᔮ ᐱᒥᐦᓭᐎᐣ (Waaseyaa Bimisewin); unpointed: ᐗᓭᔭ ᐱᒥᓭᐎᐣ) is a First Nations-owned domestic airline[8] with its headquarters in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.[9] Its main hubs are the Thunder Bay Airport and the Sioux Lookout Airport; It also offers a charter and cargo service from a base in Red Lake Airport and Pickle Lake Airport. In 2003, Wasaya Airways bought the rights to serve remote First Nations communities from Bearskin Airlines. The airline also supplies food, clothing, hardware and other various supplies to 25 remote communities in Ontario.
History
[edit]
Established in 1989 as Kelner Airways,[10] it was renamed Wasaya in 1993. The new name comes from the Oji-Cree language, which means "it is bright" in English, in reference to the brightness of the rising Sun.
Over the years, the airline has grown from a floatplane operation to a charter and scheduled passenger service airline.
Its inflight magazine Sagatay is published in conjunction with Wawatay Native Communications Society.
In October 2010, the company purchased a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 to bolster its fleet.
Destinations
[edit]Scheduled services
[edit]As of 8 August 2026[update] Wasaya Airways serves the following destinations:[6][3]
Fleet
[edit]As of August 2026[update], Wasaya Airways had four different aircraft types listed on their website (however individual aircraft numbers are not listed) and fourteen registered with Transport Canada.[4][5]
| Aircraft | No. of aircraft TC | Variants | Notes[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42 | 1 | ATR 42-320 | Freight only up to 4,800 kg (10,500 lb). Not listed at Wasaya website. | |
| ATR 72 | 2 | ATR 72-212 | Freight only up to 7,300 kg (16,000 lb) or fuel up to 9,200 L (2,000 imp gal; 2,400 US gal) | |
| Beechcraft 1900 | 6 | 1900D | Seats up to 18, used for scheduled and charter service | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8 | 2 | DHC-8-102 DHC-8-314 | Seats up to 37 (DHC-8-102) or 44 (DHC-8-314) for scheduled and charter service and an 3,600 kg (8,000 lb) payload | |
| Pilatus PC-12 | 3 | PC-12/45 | Seats up to 9, used for scheduled, charters and freight services | |
| Total | 14 | |||
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- On 11 September 2003, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operating as Wasaya Airways Flight 125 crashed near Summer Beaver, killing all eight persons on board. The flight originated in Pickle Lake and was scheduled to land at Summer Beaver Airport, but the airplane crashed and burned 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) northwest of the runway. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada was unable to determine the cause.[11][12]
- On 12 June 2012, a Wasaya Airways Hawker Siddeley HS 748 caught fire while unloading JET A-1 jet fuel at Sandy Lake Airport in Northwestern Ontario. No injuries were reported. The aircraft burned to the ground, and only the left wing and nacelle survived.[13]
- On 11 December 2015, Wasaya Airways Flight 127, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, while en route from Pickle Lake Airport to Angling Lake/Wapekeka Airport, crashed approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) north northeast of Pickle Lake Airport. The pilot was the sole occupant and was killed in the crash. The probable cause for the accident was flying in known or forecast icing conditions although the aircraft was prohibited from doing that, and a high take-off weight that increased the severity of degraded performance when the flight encountered icing conditions.[14][15]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "ICAO Designators for Canadian Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services" (PDF). Nav Canada. 20 May 2025. p. 8. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
Wasaya Airways: WSG, WASAYA
- ↑ Transport Canada (27 August 2019), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
- 1 2 "Base Locations". Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Wasaya Airways". Transport Canada. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Discover Wasaya's Fleet". Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- 1 2 "Destinations". Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ Executive Biographies
- ↑ About
- ↑ Contact
- ↑ "Kelner Airways". Airline History. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ↑ "CADORS report for Wasaya Airways (WSG125)". Transport Canada.
- ↑ "Aviation Investigation Report A03H0002". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ↑ "CADORS report for Wasaya Airways (FTTW)". Transport Canada.
- ↑ "CADORS report for Wasaya Airways (WSG127)". Transport Canada.
- ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, Wasaya Flight 127".
External links
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