North Country Air Service began operating charter flights in La Loche on July 15. (Submitted photo/ North Country Air Service)

By Nicole Reis

New Air Service

Far north sees new flight service in La Loche

Sep 3, 2020 | 10:02 AM

La Loche area is seeing a new charter flight service in the village after nearly 13 years without air transport.

North Country Air Service provides charters throughout the region to the far north and south. After years of hard work with Transport Canada, the company was issued an air operating certificate on July 26, 2019, and became fully operational on July 15.

Dean Balaneski, owner of North Country Air Service says the service was created to fill a need in air travel within the North West Region of Saskatchewan.

“The charter service provides a means of air travel to the residents of the area,” Balaneski told meadowlakeNOW in an email. “The primary focus is to provide a safe, cost effective air travel service for people of the area commuting in the region for work or pleasure in the area.”

Balaneski is a well-known pilot of the area with years of corporate, airline and northern medevac flying experience while living in La Loche. The team of pilots have more than 20,000 hours of combined flight experience which follow all legal requirements by Transport Canada and the best aviation safety practices in the industry.

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With support from his family Crystal, Emily and Adam Balaneski, the locally owned business plans add to its fleet of aircrafts and provide additional services for people in the region.

“In the future the company plans add a variety of different multi engine aircraft that can one day service future uranium mine growth in the area, and possible air medevac operations out of La Loche for the region,” he said.

(submitted photo/ North Country Air Service)

Approximately 90 per cent of his passengers have been oil sands workers heading to Fort McMurray. Typically, an out-of-province company was contracted to transfer workers to the site until recently.

Some workers were faced with a nine hour drive to Fort McMurray where now, a trip could last under 40 minutes. The aircraft can hold three passengers and the service can make up to five trips in a day.

“There’s a big transportation need in the North,” he said. “We needed transportation service up here and that’s how I approached the government for funding to help, but it didn’t really help.”

Balaneski said launching his business lasted nearly three years in paperwork. Former MP Georgina Jolibois was instrumental with moving the service forward, he said.

The company is able to serve most regions in the province with an approximate flight cost of $1,700 from Saskatoon to La Loche for a round trip which is competitive to local charter costs.

Village of La Loche mayor Robert St. Pierre looks forward to the opportunity to have extra service in the community.

“It provides an extra service for what we’re used to with McMurray Aviation and it’s locally owned and run so this is a great opportunity to build capacity within,” St. Pierre said.

To book a flight, call (639) 821-7807. Additional information can be found here.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722