Grand Canyon Airlines is a 14 CFR Part 135

air carrier An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...

headquartered on the grounds of

Boulder City Municipal Airport Boulder City Municipal Airport is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) southwest of the central business district of Boulder City, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. In operation since 1990, it is owned by Bould ...

Boulder City, Nevada Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...

, United States. It also has bases at Grand Canyon National Park Airport and

Page Municipal Airport For the airport in the Yukon area of Oklahoma City, see Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport Page Municipal Airport is a public use airport east of Page, in Coconino County, Arizona. The airport has scheduled passenger service subsidized by t ...

, both in Arizona. It operates sightseeing tours and charter service over and around the Grand Canyon. Its headquarters and main operation center is Grand Canyon National Park Airport and Boulder City Municipal Airport. The company slogan is ''With Grand Canyon Airlines, Your Memories are Cleared for Takeoff!'' The airline is owned by Elling Halvorson and had 600 employees as of October 2019. Grand Canyon Airlines introduced commercial airline service to Boulder City Airport (predecessor to the contemporary airport) on June 15, 1936.

History

The airline was started in 1927 as Scenic Airways by J. Parker Van Zandt at Grand Canyon, Arizona with a

Stinson SM-1 Detroiter The Stinson Detroiter was a six-seat cabin airliner for passengers or freight designed and built by the Stinson Aircraft Syndicate, later the ''Stinson Aircraft Corporation''. Two distinct designs used the Detroiter name, a biplane and a monopla ...

and Ford Trimotor aircraft. On February 23, 1929, the opening day of the

Arizona Biltmore Hotel The Arizona Biltmore Hotel is a resort located in Phoenix near 24th Street and Camelback Road. It is part of Hilton Hotels' Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts. It was featured on the Travel Channel show ''Great Hotels.'' The Arizona Biltmore h ...

, Scenic Airways dropped a wooden key on the roof of the hotel's ballroom. The key is on display above the fireplace of the Biltmore History Room. Scenic Airways changed its name to Grand Canyon Airlines in 1930, and Grand Canyon Airlines is believed to be the world's oldest air tour company in continuous operations. Two Grand Canyon Airlines pilots were the first to spot the wreckage left by the

1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision The Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred in the western United States on Saturday, June 30, 1956, when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over Grand Canyon National Park, Ar ...

, between

United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

and TWA aircraft. Pilots Henry and Palin Hudgen had been flying a scheduled service around the area at the time.''Blind Trust'', by John J. Nance, William Morrow & Co., Inc. (USA), 1986, , PP 96-97 On March 29, 2007, Scenic Airlines was sold to Grand Canyon Airlines and was subsequently renamed Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines. The airline continued to operate from the Boulder City airport providing services to Grand Canyon West, Grand Canyon, Page, Arizona, Monument Valley, Utah, and Rainbow Bridge, Utah. At that time, Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines continued to operate sightseeing flight services to the Grand Canyon every day of the year. On March 19, 2009 Grand Canyon Airlines moved its operations at the Boulder City airport into the company's new Boulder City Aerocenter, a terminal.

Destinations

Grand Canyon Airlines N297SA On Approach for Boulder City Airport 5

Fleet

Grand Canyon Airlines N186GC On Approach for Boulder City Airport 3

the Grand Canyon Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Accidents and incidents

* On June 18, 1986, Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 (N76GC) of the airline collided with a

Bell 206 JetRanger The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progr ...

helicopter operated by Helitech Helicopters. Both aircraft were operating scenic air tour flights over the Grand Canyon when the collision occurred near Crystal Rapids. The collision killed all 25 people on both aircraft. * On September 27, 1989, Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 5, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 (N75GC) of the airline crashed while performing a

go-around In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unst ...

at Grand Canyon National Park Airport. Both crew members and eight of 19 passengers died.

References

External links

* {{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed Regional Airline Association members Airlines established in 1927 Companies based in Arizona Regional airlines of the United States Airlines based in Arizona American companies established in 1927 1927 establishments in Arizona