First Air
Airlines and AviationOntario, Canada201-500 Employees
First Air is a Canadian airline with more than seven decades of flying experience, focused on serving the Arctic region. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, it operates scheduled flights from southern gateways Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton to more than 30 northern communities. The carrier maintains a fleet of 17 aircraft, including Boeing 737-400s, ATR 42-500s and ATR 42-300s, and transports over 200,000 passengers annually while handling more than 17 million kilograms of cargo each year. Beyond passenger service, First Air provides ground handling services for other airlines and operates the largest ATR maintenance facility in North America, offering combi modification capabilities, supplemental type certificates and C-check inspections. In 2020, First Air merged with Canadian North, expanding its network to serve destinations across the Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Nunavut from southern gateways including Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton.