Orca Airways

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Orca Airways
IATA ICAO Call sign
OR ORK[1] ORCA[1]
Founded2005
Ceased operationsApril 30, 2018
HubsVancouver International Airport
Focus citiesTofino
Fleet size20[2]
Destinations6[3]
Parent companyIntegra Air
HeadquartersVancouver, British Columbia
Websitehttp://www.flyorcaair.com/

Orca Airways was a scheduled and charter airline based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The airline provided scheduled commercial service, cargo and charter services, and aircraft management in Canada and the western United States. Orca operated a fleet of that includes 14 Piper PA-31-350 Chieftains, 1 Fairchild SA227s and 2 Beechcraft Model 100 King Air.[2] The company operated from the south terminal at Vancouver International Airport.

History

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Orca Airways was a family-owned airline which was founded in January 2005, and began operations in July 2005. At the time it only operated routes from Vancouver International Airport to Tofino-Long Beach Airport operating one Piper Navajo on this route. It soon began expanding to provide charter service and cargo service. Orca Airways had the largest Navajo fleet airline in Canada and continued to expand providing scheduled and cargo routes across British Columbia.

On 27 February 2009 the airline acquired the small regional carrier Airspeed Aviation which was established in 1986 and based in Abbotsford, British Columbia.[4]

On March 15, 2018 Transport Canada suspended the airline's operating certificate citing its "repeated non-compliance with aviation safety regulations".[5][6]

Destinations

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As of April 2018, Orca Airways flew to the following destinations:[3]

Fleet

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As of May 2018 Orca Airways fleet was still listed with Transport Canada:[2]

Orca Air Navajo Chieftain
Orca Airways Fleet
Aircraft No. of Aircraft Variants Notes
Beechcraft Model 99 1
Beechcraft King Air 2 Model 100, Model A100
Beechcraft Super King Air 1 Model 200
Learjet 35 1 35A
Piper PA-31 Navajo 14 PA-31-350 Chieftain
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner 1 SA227-AT

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "ICAO Designators for Canadian Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services" (PDF). Nav Canada. 2023-05-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-02-26. Orca Airways: ORK, ORCA
  2. ^ a b c "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Orca Airways". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  3. ^ a b "Flight schedule". Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  4. ^ "Airspeed Aviation". Airline History. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. ^ Canada suspends operator certificate of Orca Airways
  6. ^ Orca Airways closes shop after 13 years in Business
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