Connecting Canada – from seeing the vet, to seeing the world

Canada’s vast geography and harsh, unpredictable weather make regional air connectivity not a luxury, but a lifeline. Modern turboprops like the ATR are perfectly suited to Canada’s regional market. But true connectivity depends on more than performance in the air. It requires investment in infrastructures, from runway upgrades to upgraded terminals, and a coordinated effort to replace aging fleets. 

Why Fly? 

In many remote areas of Canada, flights are the only connection with the wider world. In Nunavut, there are no trains or highways. It’s home to 40,000 people on a land mass larger than Western Europe. And Nunavut’s transport challenges are emblematic of the connectivity issues faced in the north of Canada: frozen through the winter months, intersected by rivers and literally an uncountable number of lakes.  

Colossal distances separate regional hubs from the communities where people, many of them First Nations, Métis and Inuit, live and work. If what they need is not available in those communities – from spare parts for snowmobiles to diagnostic tools such as X-rays for broken legs, medicine, specialised healthcare, higher education, even their own family members who live elsewhere – then air transport is the only reliable and practical option.  Freight services are equally essential, ensuring that vital goods, supplies, and equipment reach northern communities safely and efficiently, supporting daily life and local economies. 

Even in places connected by ground transportation, like Churchill in Manitoba, the scale is daunting. There’s only a rail link from Winnipeg, where travelling roughly the same distance as Paris to Berlin, takes 44 hours on a service that runs twice a week. In 2017, flooding destroyed the tracks and the service was suspended for over 18 months.  

A Long Way for a Small Cat 

Michel LaRiviere, Marketing Manager for Calm Air, remembers: “I was flying from Rankin Inlet back to Winnipeg one day, and a local woman seated next to me had her cat with her. She was bringing her sick cat to a veterinarian in Winnipeg because there wasn’t one available in her community. Moments like that remind you how essential connectivity is. When you need important services, access and reliable travel make all the difference.” 

Photo by Calm Air (Dylan Phelps)

Dan Gold, Director of Marketing and Stakeholder Relations at Rise Air, emphasizes the broader impact of regional air connectivity: “Air services are not just about convenience, they are critical for supporting economic development across Saskatchewan. Our existing fleet of ATR 42s enable workforce transportation for industries that sustain the provincial GDP and create employment opportunities, particularly in the north where communities depend on reliable access. These flights keep businesses running, allow essential workers to reach remote job sites, and strengthen the economic fabric of the province. And this will be further reinforced through the introduction of our upcoming ATR 72-600s.”  

Photo by Rise Air

But it’s not just about economic benefits. Air connectivity is also about safety and convenience: “Consider the case of the new mother, taking her new baby back from Saskatoon to Stony Rapids. She could endure a 16-to-18-hour drive depending on the time of year. Or she could take a two-hour flight. If you’ve just had a baby, you don’t want to be doing that drive. The vast distances in Canada are a great challenge: where there are roads, they are in relatively poor condition: pot-holed in summer and covered in ice in winter. You want to get home safely to introduce your new baby to your family members and to the elders of the community.”  

Tourism, Business, and Essential Air Services  

Air services across northern Canada also bring tourists to visit the fishing camps in summer months, and to spot polar bears and beluga whales in places like Churchill, Manitoba. Meanwhile business and medical traffic are one of the important drivers of passenger traffic and forecasts suggest it will continue to be robust.

Three bears, Mom and two cubs sleeping on tundra landscape in Churchill, Manitoba during a snow storm, blizzard.

Why Turboprops? 

Turboprop aircraft, from smaller legacy planes to the most modern ATR 72-600, are essential because they are suited to short runways at regional airfields. They also enable operators to drive better reliability and fuel efficiency, while providing them with the ability to cope with extreme, starkly changeable, weather conditions.  

“ATR manufactures reliable aircraft suited to the gravel or even ice runways of many regional airports, and the seasonal swings in temperature from ice cold to prairie hot,” says Ryan Kinney, Director of Flight Operations at Air North. “ATRs enable us to configure our cargo and passenger services to meet the community needs.” 

Photo by AirNorth

Demand for ATRs among Canadian regional airlines is testimony to the robust, flexible, and evolving design. “In an ideal world, I would have all the ATRs I could get,” says Calm Air’s Vice President of Maintenance, Tim Kroeker. “We can offset lower passenger load factors with freight, which makes it a compelling proposition.” 

A Market Full of Opportunities… 

The market opportunity for ATR in Canada is clear. There is a growing requirement to replace older aircraft. While turboprops have been serving remote communities for decades, re-investment in the air, as well as on the ground, is today’s story. 

The average age of 30-50 seater turboprops operating in Canada is 32 years. The average age of ATR turboprops in the passenger fleet in Canada is 31 years, while globally that number is 13 years. So while ATR has served the Canadian market well for many years, there is a need for a programme of replacement.  

Since 2019, three regional operators in Canada have taken on ATR aircraft in addition to existing operators, and ATR forecasts at least 90 new turboprop aircraft will be delivered in the next 20 years.  

The largest ATR turboprop fleet is deployed by Canadian North. It provides passenger and cargo services to 24 remote Canadian Arctic communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Nunavik, mainly from its northern hubs in Iqaluit and Yellowknife, using 13 ATR passenger or combi aircraft and two freighters. 

Rise Air is currently undertaking a US$120 million investment in its fleet replacement plan. The certification of the –600 series, due at the end of 2025, will bring six new ATR aircraft to the Canadian market, including three ATR 72-600s to Rise Air. 

… and Challenges 

Canada’s changing seasons mean some routes open in winter and close in summer, while some close in winter and only meet summer demand. Day to day changes in atmospheric and ground conditions also present challenges. Fog, or heavy and sudden snow, can delay or ground flights.  

People, crew and ground staff, need to be trained and expert in non-standard aeronautical skills. In very small communities, finding skilled workers is hard. Rostering issues, never straightforward in the airline business, are made more complex with the additional uncertainties inherent in the Canadian north. Snow clearing duties, for instance, may be all consuming one day and entirely unnecessary the next. One of the few predictable factors is that the weather will be unpredictable. 

Photo by Canadian North

Canadian operators are also calling for urgent investment in infrastructure to keep regional aviation viable. Modernising and maintaining landing strips is critical to reduce costly gravel damage to rotor blades. Airlines are also asking for improved runway approach lighting, advanced weather warning systems, and upgraded terminal facilities. These enhancements are essential to ensure reliability and sustainable connectivity for the communities that depend on air transport every day.  

“Investment is needed to improve the infrastructure at northern remote airports. We’d like to see more runways lengthened to 4000 feet (1.219 kilometres) where many are now around 3500 feet (1067 metres). Harden runways, rather than gravel, would also improve service levels” says Thomas Meilleur, Vice President at North Star Air. 

Photo by North Star Air (Nathan Junyk)

While ticket pricing remains a challenge, with low load factors conflicting with contractual service commitments, most of the airlines offer reduced fares for First Nations people, as well as concessions for compassionate travel, students, and families. “Running flights in the remote north can be very different – and less profitable – than running full services between two large cities in Europe or Asia. Hence the need for a very fuel-efficient and cost-effective aircraft, like the ATR” says Christopher Jones, Head of ATR Americas. 

Forging Future Success… Together 

Meeting Canada’s connectivity challenge will take more than new aircraft, it demands collaboration between airlines, manufacturers, and policymakers to modernise infrastructure and rethink regional mobility. Runways, lighting systems, and terminals must evolve alongside fleets to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable operations in some of the world’s most demanding environments.  

For over four decades, ATR aircraft have connected communities where others could not. The question is not whether to invest in regional mobility, it’s how quickly we can act to secure the lifelines that keep Canadian communities thriving.  

ATR stands ready to support that journey.  

Did you know? 

The longest ATR route is 978 miles (1574 kilometres) from Iqaluit to Resolute Bay in Nunavut. The shortest is 41 miles (67 kilometres) from Igloolik, also in Nunavut, to Sanirajak.