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Founded | 2009 | ||||||
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Ceased operations | 2020 | ||||||
AOC # | 19080 [2] | ||||||
Hubs | Abbotsford International Airport | ||||||
Focus cities | Victoria, Nanaimo | ||||||
Fleet size | 11 [3] | ||||||
Destinations | 6 [4] | ||||||
Parent company | Shorebird Enterprises | ||||||
Headquarters | Abbotsford, British Columbia | ||||||
Key people | Jim Young | ||||||
Website |
www |
Island Express Air was a small Canadian airline based in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Its first flight was on August 7, 2009, as part of the Abbotsford International Airshow. [5] It operated scheduled air service between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, as well as charter flights and cargo service. On February 23, 2018, one of their planes, a King Air B100, crashed at Abbotsford Airport (CYXX) immediately after take-off in blizzard conditions. [6] As a result of this accident, and due to public safety concerns, Transport Canada suspended Island Express' air operator's certificate (AOC) shortly thereafter, on February 28, 2018. [7] However, following a robust review of the company's safety procedures the operating certificate was reinstated on June 26, 2018. [8] The company slogan was Your Island Connection.
In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Island Express Air ceased operations and sold its assets to a group of investors. [9]
All destinations as of August 2019 were within British Columbia: [4]
Fleet as of August 2019: [3]
Aircraft | No. of aircraft |
Variants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Beechcraft King Air | 1 | 100 series | |
Piper PA-28 Cherokee | 1 | PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior | |
Piper PA-31 Navajo | 6 | PA-31-325 Navajo, PA-31-350 Chieftain | |
Piper PA-32 | 1 | PA-32-301 Saratoga |
Island Express Air: IAX, ABBOTSFORD AIR