Northern Canada airline Buffalo Airways announced a cargo-only “Special Freighter” route between Edmonton International Airport (EIA) and Yellowknife.
The service will run Monday through Friday on a customized Boeing 737-300SF.
It will transport critical goods like pharmaceuticals and health-care supplies, food and drinks, automotive and other manufactured parts and retail.
Until now, parts of Northern Canada have relied on road transportation to get critical goods to Hay River, where they are then flown to Yellowknife. But that system has reached its capacity, Buffalo Airways and EIA said.
The president of EIA called the new service “a critical link to our Northern neighbours” and said it reinforces the airport’s position as a hub.
“This dedicated freighter service improves connectivity between regions and will have a strong positive impact to the residents in Northern Canada, providing access to affordable essential goods by improving the supply chain to and from northern communities,” Myron Keehn said.
The general manager of Buffalo Airways said he’s been preparing for this cargo flight and custom aircraft for two years.
“I can’t wait to witness the remarkable impact it will have on our operations,” Mikey McBryan said.