in Air North livery. The airline acquired several DC-3s throughout the 1980s. The airline was established by Joe Sparling and Tom Woods, and started flight training and general purpose charter operations in 1977 with a single
Cessna 206. Throughout the 1980s, the company grew and acquired several aircraft including
Douglas DC-3s, a
Douglas DC-4, and a variety of
Cessnas,
de Havillands and other aircraft. Air North also began offering scheduled passenger and cargo service in addition to charter services. During the 1990s, its piston-powered fleet were replaced with more modern and reliable
turboprop aircraft, and by 2000 the fleet consisted of one
Beechcraft Model 99 and three
Hawker Siddeley 748 Series 2As. The
Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation of
Old Crow also began investing in Air North during this time. This investment enabled Air North to acquire two
Boeing 737-200 jets in 2002. These jets allowed Air North to begin competing with the mainline carriers between Yukon and
Vancouver,
Calgary and
Edmonton. These routes proved to be successful and have since been joined by
Kelowna,
Yellowknife,
Ottawa,
Toronto, and
Victoria. Since Air North began scheduled jet service, passenger traffic at the
Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport has doubled, and by 2014 nearly 60% of Whitehorse passengers were flying Air North. The Beech 99 was sold in 2005, a fourth Hawker Siddeley 748 was acquired in 2006, and in 2008 a Boeing 737-200
Combi was acquired. The combi's large main deck cargo door and moveable bulkhead allowed for all-cargo as well as mixed cargo/passenger operations. A gravel kit was later installed on the 737 Combi, allowing the aircraft to operate on the airline's northern routes. in July 2012. The airline acquired several 737s in the 2010s. In 2010, the airline started a new fleet expansion and modernization plan, purchasing a
737-400 and a
winglet-equipped 737-500. In 2012, a fifth HS-748 (a pure freighter equipped with the large freight door) and a second 737-500 were acquired. This was followed by a third 737-500 in 2014, sporting an updated livery, and a fourth 737-500 entered service in 2016. In 2017, two ATR 42 combi aircraft were introduced to replace existing HS748 aircraft, ending worldwide scheduled passenger HS-748 service. With newer aircraft in service, the three 737-200s and five HS-748s were retired or sold. Some are now parked behind Air North's maintenance base and used for spare parts and staff training. During the
2021 Canadian federal election,
NDP leader
Jagmeet Singh's campaign chartered an Air North Boeing 737-500. In 2024, the company's fleet was further updated with the introduction of
two 737-800 aircraft. Both are equipped with winglets, improved performance and updated, Boeing Sky-style interiors. landing at
Dawson City Airport Since the arrival of the Boeing 737s, the main Air North base in Whitehorse has steadily expanded. It now includes the original hangar which is now used as a cargo warehouse and ground equipment shop, a new aircraft maintenance hangar, a reservations and administration building, an operations centre, an in-house catering and cabin services department, and a fuelling facility. Air North also operates secondary bases in Vancouver, B.C. and Dawson City, Yukon. The in-house catering building opened in the mid-2000s, enabling Air North to offer in-flight meals. Yukon products are featured when possible, and often include Midnight Sun coffee and Yukon Brewing beer. Air North launched its
inflight magazine in partnership with North of Ordinary Media in February 2007. Now owned by Nordwind Inc. in Whitehorse published as
The Yukon Magazine, it is released quarterly and is available in-flight, by subscription, and in select retailers across Canada. from
Whitehorse, May 2018. The remainder of Air North's revenue comes from ground handling services at Whitehorse, Dawson City, Old Crow, Edmonton, and Vancouver Airports, as well as Jet-A refuelling services at Whitehorse. Air North is currently the main provider of Jet-A fuel service in Whitehorse. It is also the ground handler for Condor Airlines and
WestJet in Whitehorse, as well as several airlines in Vancouver. In May 2022, Air North launched its inaugural twice-weekly flight to Toronto via Yellowknife. Air North is now owned by Joseph Sparling (51%) (President, CEO, and Boeing 737 Captain) and the Vuntut Development Corporation (49%), an arm of the
Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. Air North is one of the largest private sector employers in Yukon. As of 2015 it has over 500 employees and more than 1,200 Class C & D shareholders. ==Destinations==