Propair Inc. is a

charter airline Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flight ...

with its headquarters and main base at the Rouyn-Noranda Airport in

Rouyn-Noranda Rouyn-Noranda (; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada. The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipalit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It operates charter and

medevac Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

flights and had a secondary base at

Montréal–Trudeau International Airport Montréal–Trudeau International Airport () or Montréal–Trudeau, formerly known and still commonly referred to as Montréal–Dorval International Airport (''Aéroport international Montréal-Dorval''), is an international airport in Dor ...

, but it closed in July 2018.

History

In 1954, Émilien Pronovost purchased a bush aviation company, La Sarre Air Services, which was headquartered in

Nord-du-Québec Nord-du-Québec (; ) is the largest, but the least populous, of the seventeen administrative regions of Quebec, Canada. Spread over nearly 14 degrees of latitude, north of the 49th parallel, the region covers on the Labrador Peninsula, making ...

and operated in a territory that enjoyed a wealth of natural resources but few if any roads. A pioneer of regional air transport, Pronovost grew his company by carrying workers, scientists and various prospectors attracted to the region. Over time, he was able to strengthen the company's position due to an influx of passengers destined for hunting and fishing camps. Successively supported by his daughters Lise and Claude, then his sons Jean and Louis, Pronovost played a key role in the development of Quebec's largest construction site at the time, the

James Bay Project The James Bay Project () involves the construction of a series of hydroelectricity, hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by government-owned corporation, state-owned public utility, utility Hydro-Qué ...

, a series of hydroelectric power stations on the

La Grande River La Grande River (, ; ; both meaning "great river") is a river in northwestern Quebec, Canada, rising in the highlands of the north-central part of the province and flowing roughly west to its drainage at James Bay. It is the second-longest rive ...

. After another ten years of growth, Jean and Louis purchased the company in 1981. They also bought the company Air Fecteau in 1983, and amalgamated the two businesses to create Propair. With a fleet of around 40 aircraft, Propair was the largest bush aviation company in

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (, also the Eastern provinces, Canadian East or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of Hudson Bay/ Hudson Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newf ...

, serving nearly the entire

region. Once the region's major projects were completed, and with the signing of the

James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement () is an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement (), through which Quebec's ...

and its impact on hunting and fishing trips, Propair found itself with a larger fleet than needed to meet the demands of its traditional market. In addition, new roads had been built over time, greatly facilitating ground access to the territory. In order to adjust to this new reality, Propair disposed of its bush aviation assets and acquired aircraft designed for business

air charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flight ...

s and

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. History The concept of air taxis existed as early as the 1910s. This concept goes back as early as 1917 with Glenn Curtiss’ prototype, the auto-plane. Furthermor ...

, namely

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

aircraft with pressurized cabins, better adapted to the fast-growing market it had chosen to target.

Flight 420

On 18 June 1998, a company Fairchild-Swearingen Metro II was involved in a crash that killed all eleven people on board. Propair Flight 420 departed Montréal–Dorval International Airport, Quebec, at about 0701

Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behin ...

en route to the Peterborough Airport, Ontario with nine passengers and two pilots. At 12 minutes after take-off, at above sea level, the crew radioed

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

(ATC) indicating a hydraulic problem and requested a return to Dorval. At about 0719, while descending through ASL, the crew told ATC that the left engine was on fire and had been shut down. At about 0720 hours, the crew decided to proceed to

Montréal–Mirabel International Airport Montréal–Mirabel International Airport , originally called Montréal International Airport, widely known as Mirabel and branded as YMX International Aerocity of Mirabel, is a cargo and former international passenger airport in Mirabel, Queb ...

instead and at 0723, the crew informed ATC that the fire was out. While on final for runway 24 at Mirabel, the crew advised ATC that the left engine was once again on fire. On short final the left wing failed and all on board were killed when the aircraft impacted the ground.

Services

Propair mainly operates

and

flights in most part of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and the northeastern United States. Propair also offers support services (fuel, maintenance and cargo handling) at Rouyn-Noranda Airport

Fleet

The Propair fleet listed by

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

as of December 2023 includes the following aircraft types: Propair was the last Canadian operator of the Grumman Gulfstream I, but retired their aircraft in 2017. However, Transport Canada still lists the plane with a valid certificate.Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details C-FAWE
/ref>

References

External links

Propair Inc.
{{Airlines of Canada Regional airlines of Quebec Rouyn-Noranda Airlines established in 1954