Guest Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 New airline to offer service between Waterloo and Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal 15 September 2020Canadian Aviation News From Global News – link to story – Thanks JM By Kevin Nielsen Global News ~ September 15, 2020 The passenger terminal at the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Breslau. Nick Westoll / File / Global News A new airline says it will offer service between Waterloo and Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor and Montreal going forward. Pivot Airlines says it has reached an agreement with the Region of Waterloo to provide the service once it receives regulatory approval. Brock Henderson, Pivot’s vice president of operations control, told Global News that “tickets are anticipated to cost between $90 and about $250 plus taxes and fees.” He described Pivot Airlines as “a new company which draws from a legacy of 25 years as a partner carrier for two different Canadian major airlines.” Henderson says it is also looking to expand to two other Ontario markets which have recently lost service with an eye towards cross-border travel down the road. “Our legacy is in transborder travel and we will also be closely monitoring the situation in the United States for future expansion plans,” he said while noting that it will likely be at least a year before Pivot offers trips south of the border. Henderson says the company is still working out details on when its planes will begin to carry passengers. “Pivot is finalizing the routes, dates and schedule over the coming month,” he said. “We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation as students return to school and expect that we will have the required predictability to commence service within the next few months. “ Regional chair Karen Redman welcomed the airline to Waterloo Region. “As the 10th largest urban area in Canada, our residents made 154,300 trips by air last year to the destinations announced today,” she said. Pivot Airlines says it will use Canadian-made made CRJ Jets and De Havilland Dash 8 Regional Turboprops as it moves people to other markets. “The regional airline model in Canada is changing, and we are ideally positioned to play a critical role,” the company stated. “We believe as people return to travel, modern regional airports will play a larger role than what we have seen in the past.” It says the agreement with the region will also allow it to build maintenance, operations and office facilities at the airport. “These are challenging times – yet COVID-19 will end and demand for air travel is growing. If you need to travel by air, we urge residents to support local air service. We believe Pivot’s new service will encourage investment and create jobs in Waterloo Region.” Currently, Westjet is the only major Canadian airline offering service from Waterloo Regional Airport with weekly service to Calgary. Sunwing also flies to some vacation destinations during the winter months. © 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 Pivot Airlines launches during pandemic Posted on June 16, 2020 by Lisa Gordon In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, countless air operators have been forced to reinvent themselves almost overnight. “Agile” and “nimble” have become the buzzwords of an industry that is trying to feel its way back from the brink. Pivot Airlines includes (L-R) Troy Stephens, VP of Flight Operations; Adeeb Haddadi, VP of Maintenance Operations; and Ravinder Rathore, director of Quality Assurance & Maintenance Training. All are former Air Georgian employees. Pivot Airlines Photo Advertisement While the stress has been significant for most established operators, the pressure has been astronomical for a group of aviation professionals who were in the midst of launching a new Toronto-based regional airline when the pandemic hit in mid-March. And yet, seemingly in spite of it all, Pivot Airlines became a reality in late May. Created from the ashes of Air Georgian, which flew 62,000 flights a year under a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Air Canada, the new airline resulted from an asset purchase agreement that was approved by the court through a process called a Notice of Intention, similar to a Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act process. The onset of COVID-19 was an additional hurdle that proved the new operation had been aptly named. During its development, the pandemic caused the business plan to “pivot” from the originally envisioned regional airline to a much leaner charter operation. “We’ve gone from a CPA carrier to a full-service charter airline focused on workforce logistic charters and ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) contracts,” wrote CEO Eric Edmondson, also formerly of Air Georgian, on LinkedIn. He noted that while this is his fourth AOC (air operator certificate) and third AMO (approved maintenance organization) launch, this has been the most challenging by far. The Pivot Airlines team has grappled with not only the legal restructuring process, but also the global pandemic and the impacts it has had on aviation regulation. Advertisement Aside from Edmondson, Pivot Airlines also includes Troy Stephens, VP of Flight Operations; Adeeb Haddadi, VP of Maintenance Operations; and Ravinder Rathore, director of Quality Assurance & Maintenance Training. All are former Air Georgian employees. “I will forever remain humbled and deeply thankful for the incredible support and work of the many professionals at Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency who processed our application, conducted reviews, interviews, and audits during such challenging times,” wrote Edmondson. “COVID-19 has increased everyone’s workload and added unimaginable complications. To get us across the goal line was nothing short of amazing.” Pivot Airlines is owned by Binder Capital Corporation (BCC), a Canadian private equity firm based in Calgary. Pivot Airlines is owned by Binder Capital Corporation, a private equity firm based in Calgary, Alberta. Established in 1976 by Mr. John Binder, Binder Capital Corporation has grown from three small avionics repair shops to a hometown brand with a global reach including both financing and equity investments in numerous industries. Binder Capital Corporation is skilled at identifying industry niches and supporting companies poised for growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudder Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 A leopard cannot change its spots..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 Clapped out CRJs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 There is always some fool who wants to be separated from his money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Fido said: There is always some fool who wants to be separated from his money So far that has been the passenger who searches for the lowest possible fare from a low cost carrier and then complaints because there are no refunds etc. Go Figure.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falken Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Some of the comments remind me of when Porter started up! I wish them good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Starting up an ACMI regional carrier right now? They’re going to need a whole lot more than luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 57 minutes ago, J.O. said: Starting up an ACMI regional carrier right now? They’re going to need a whole lot more than luck. Unless of course , like WestJet did, they operate with very low cost aircraft and cherry pick their markets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Cherries? Right now there are barely any trees! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Don't forget what the management team did when times were good.. https://www.tsb.gc.ca/ENG/rapports-reports/aviation/2016/a16w0092/a16w0092.html. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 2 hours ago, JL said: Don't forget what the management team did when times were good.. https://www.tsb.gc.ca/ENG/rapports-reports/aviation/2016/a16w0092/a16w0092.html. That was verrrrry interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canoehead Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 Bold plans to build maintenance, operations and office facilities there and run a DH8 and or CRJ around the patch. I'm pretty sure that if BLS couldn't make a go of it with PC-12s, "GGN 2.0" isn't going to pull this off with a 50-seat RJ. Just a hunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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