Regional Canadian airline Air North has waved goodbye to a Hawker Siddeley 748 this week. On January 21st, the aircraft departed Whitehorse in the Yukon territories for Thunder Bay (Ontario) via Edmonton (Alberta). Let's look at the aircraft type and its place in Air North's history.
Details of the final flight
Yukon-based airline Air North has announced the departure of a Hawker Siddeley 748. The aircraft took off from Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) at 12:06 on January 21st as flight 4N190, according to data from FlightRadar24.com.
With its limited range, the aircraft, registered as C-FCSE, headed to Edmonton to refuel - taking off for Thunder Bay (YQT) about 40 minutes later. The plane landed in Thunder Bay at 22:30 local time. At this time, we are unsure about what's next for the 51-year-old aircraft and have inquired with the airline about its future plans.
However, as a previous Air North Hawker Siddeley 748 (C-GANA) also headed to Thunder Bay, and now flies with Thunder Bay-based airline Wasaya Airways, there's a good chance C-FCSE will be joining their fleet as well. Wasaya Airways is a rural carrier serving remote First Nations communities.
The Hawker Siddeley 748 in Air North's fleet
According to PlaneLogger, Air North has had a total of five Hawker Siddeley 748s in its fleet. Those aircraft were registered:
- C-FCSE
- C-FAGI
- C-FYDU
- C-FYDY
- C-GANA
While Transport Canada's database shows that these HS-748s are listed as being owned by Air North, they no longer appear as part of the airline's fleet on its website. Air Inuit, Air Creebec, and Wasaya Airways are other Canadian operators that owned and operated this aircraft type.
Going from a single Cessna 206 in the late 70s, Air North's fleet had grown to include Douglas DC-3 and DC-4 aircraft in the early 80s. These were then retired about 10 years later in favor of the HS-748 turboprops.
According to SeatGuru, these aircraft could be configured to transport anywhere between 12 and 40 passengers. With a single aisle, this would be configured in a 2-2 layout. The remaining cabin space, typically at the front of the aircraft, would then be used for cargo.
With a full payload, the aircraft's range is roughly 930 nautical miles or 1,700 kilometers.
Air North's active fleet
With the retirement of the type from Air North's fleet, the carrier now uses the Boeing 737 and ATR 42. The airline has four 737-500s and one 737-400. There are only three ATR 42-300s flying with the carrier.
Based out of Whitehorse International Airport in the Yukon Territory, Air North serves a number of Western and Northern Canadian towns and cities, mainly in British Columbia and Alberta. Its services to Ottawa (Ontario) and Yellowknight (Northwest Territories) are currently suspended due to the ongoing global health crisis while service to Edmonton and Calgary is set to resume at the beginning of March.
Have you ever flown with Air North or in a Hawker Siddeley 748? We'd love to hear about the experience. Share it with us by leaving a comment!