Northwestern Air

Northwestern Air is an airline based in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada. It operates ad hoc charters and long-term charter contracts for various corporations throughout Canada and the United States. Previously, it operated scheduled passenger services to seven destinations in two territories/provinces.
Its main base is Fort Smith Airport.

WWW Official Site

History

The airline was established in 1965 as a leasing company and started flying operations in 1968. It expanded to operate scheduled passenger services in 1984. It is wholly owned by the Harrold family and had more than 70 employees in September 2018.
On 18 December 2024 the airline announced it would be terminating scheduled operations on 16 January 2025 to concentrate on contract charters using its Cessna fleet. Air Tindi would be taking over the scheduled routes. The airline cited the ages of Terry and Brian Harold, as well as challenges with pilot recruitment as the reasons for the decision.

Destinations

As of January 2024, the airline schedule served the following locations:

Province/territory	City	Airport	Notes
Alberta	Edmonton	Edmonton International Airport
Alberta	Fort Chipewyan	Fort Chipewyan Airport
Alberta	Fort McMurray	Fort McMurray International Airport
Alberta	High Level	High Level Airport
Northwest Territories	Fort Smith	Fort Smith Airport
Northwest Territories	Hay River	Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport
Northwest Territories	Yellowknife	Yellowknife Airport

Fleet

As of January 2024, the Northwestern Air fleet includes fourteen aircraft registered with Transport Canada and ten listed at the Northwestern Air web site:
Previously operated include:

Accidents and incidents

On 23 January 2024, Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashed shortly after takeoff from Fort Smith Airport, killing six people and injuring one. The British Aerospace Jetstream was a charter to Diavik Airport at the Diavik Diamond Mine.