Peace Air was a Canadian
regional airline
A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...
that flew to destinations within the Canadian province of
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
and to two destinations in eastern
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. It covered niche markets including scheduled flights to smaller communities, freight and charter flights in northern Alberta. It was based in the town of
Peace River, Alberta. On May 18, 2007 Peace Air announced that the airline would cease all operations, and was placed into bankruptcy.
History
Peace Air was started in 1962 in the town of
Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...
. From 1994 onwards, it was owned by Wendy and
Albert Cooper.
The company was established in 1962 as Peace River Air Services by an optometrist (Mr. Smale) and a jeweller (Budd Dennis). At that time all the charter flights operated after 1700 hours, when the optometrist and jeweller closed their businesses for the work day. John MacMillan took over Mr. Smale's share of Peace Air after he was killed in an automobile accident involving a gravel truck. In 1991 Les Gayton, aircraft mechanic, became the primary owner of Peace Air until his death from a heart attack in June 1991. Mr. Gayton's widow, Winnie Gayton, ran the company until she sold all rights to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Cooper.
Peace Air's head office operated at the
Peace River Airport, 7 kilometers outside Peace River town limits, and also 7 kilometers outside of Grimshaw, Alberta. Approximately 98 employees (including pilots, counter agents, secretaries etc.) were responsible for managing all of Peace Air's route locations. At one point, commuter air carrier
Alberta Citylink operated flights for Peace Air with
BAe Jetstream
The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin-turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the British ...
turboprops.
The airline was shut down in 2007, and its assets were seized to try to pay back creditors, including several small businesses, who were owed a total of $3.5 million.
[ For people who had purchased tickets to the now defunct airline, owner Albert Cooper said they should contact their credit card company.
]
Destinations
Destinations served by Peace Air:
*Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
**Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
(Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport , branded as YYC Calgary International Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately northeast of downtown and covers an area of 20.82 squa ...
)
** Cold Lake
**Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
***(Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport
Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA), also called Blatchford Field as well as Edmonton Municipal Airport, was an airport within the city of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada.
It was bordered by Yellowhead Trail to the north, Kingsway to the south, ...
- Esso Avitat)
***(Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport, as of August 29, 2022, officially branded YEG Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of the Canadian province of Alberta. Designat ...
)
**Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...
(Fort McMurray Airport
Fort McMurray International Airport is located southeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. YMM is the largest airport in northern Alberta. It has flights to Edmonton, Calgary, and Fort Chipewyan through airlines Air Canada, WestJet, McMurra ...
)
**Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...
**High Level
High Level is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located at the intersection of the Mackenzie Highway (Highway 35) and Highway 58, approximately north of Edmonton and south of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. High Level is located w ...
**Lloydminster
Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...
**Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, ...
**Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...
**Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...
*British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
** Fort Nelson
** Fort St. John
Fleet
As of August 2006 the Peace Air fleet included:[''Flight International'', 3–9 October 2006, Reed Business Information, Ltd.]
* Two (2) BAe Jetstream 31
The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin- turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...
* Two (2) BAe Jetstream 32
The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin-turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...
Other aircraft operated by Peace Air during its existence included:
* Beechcraft 100 King Air
*Pilatus PC-12
The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in ad ...
*Piper Chieftain
The Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engined aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also license-built in a number of Latin American countries. Ta ...
*Cessna 210
The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-performance, retractable-gear, single-engined, high-wing general aviation, general-aviation aircraft. First flown in January 1957, it was produced by Cessna until 1986.
Design and development
...
See also
* List of defunct airlines of Canada
This is a list of defunct airlines of Canada.
See also
* List of airlines of Canada
* List of airports in Canada
References
{{Defunct airlines of Canada
*
Canada
Airlines
An airline is a company that provides air transpor ...
References
External links
Peace Air (in Mandarin)
{{Defunct airlines of Canada
Defunct airlines of Canada
Companies based in Alberta
Airlines established in 1962
Airlines disestablished in 2007