Airlines First Air announces plan to grow infrastructure

  • First Air

First Air announced in a statement, that the airline has submitted two applications to the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF) to finance infrastructure projects.

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The Canadian airline has partnered with the Ottawa Airport Authority and Aeroterm to send requests to the NTCF, which provides financing for infrastructure projects. In the first proposal, First Air will invest in cargo facilities at Ottawa International Airport, aiming to use modern technology in hope of reducing delays in shipments, as well as to increase refrigeration and warehousing. First Air´s funding request to the NTCF amounts CAD8.75 million (USD6.88 million).

If the request is being granted by the NTCF, Ottawa Airport Authority will support the expansion of First Air´s already existing maintenance hangar to the east by the company Alert Road. Aeroterm then will take over First Air´s existing cargo warehouse. The project could commence as early as 2018 and is likely to last until 2020/2021.

The second proposal includes the expansion of First Air´s operations in Iqaluit. The carrier plans to invest in better distribution of goods to 11 smaller communities in Canada. Furthermore, a new warehouse will be built to ensure better freight procedures. To maximize energy conservation, the new warehouse will integrate Green technology. The second application amounts CAD 17 million and could start this year.

Brock Friesen, President and CEO of First Air, said "We want to ensure that we not only meet the growing cargo demand of Canada's Arctic and that we also continue to provide the best service possible in doing so. The Arctic communities depend on us on a daily basis, every day of the year. We take this role very seriously and are committed to modernizing our facilities to optimize service to the North."

First air is wholly Inuit-Owned and headquartered in Kanata, Canada. The airline operates with 17 aircraft, including 13 ATR 42/72, five Boeing 737 and one Bae Avro RJ100. First Air concentrates on the regional Canadian market and flies on 54 routes to 28 destinations.

Source © firstair.ca

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