From its Vancouver International airport base in Canada, Helijet International is spooling up its charter air services to British Columbian communities, including those impacted by commercial airline schedule reductions and route suspensions.

Helijet offers both fixed and rotary wing charter services to fill these voids, including its Learjet 31A and Pilatus PC-12 business jets with service to most communities around the province in 90 minutes or less. Based at Helijet's YVR southside terminal, the Learjet is configured with six passenger seating and is capable of speeds over 500 mph, offering clients the fastest way between communities.

The two fixed-wing charter aircraft are complemented by Sikorsky S-76, Eurocopter EC135 and Airbus AS350s (AStar) aircraft in Helijet's rotary-wing charter fleet to connect businesses, their employees and customers.

Helijet's charters provide year-round air service to key economic centres including Kamloops, Kelowna, Fort St John, Terrace/Kitimat and coastal communities. Prince Rupert is especially disconnected by commercial flight service cutbacks to northern British Columbia due to the pandemic.

From Vancouver International, flying time to Prince Rupert in a Helijet charter is just over one hour. With its north coast helicopter base located at the Prince Rupert Seal Cove aerodrome, Helijet has the added ability to offer fixed-wing passengers arriving at the Digby Island airport an additional seven-minute short hop transfer flight by helicopter to Seal Cove heliport within the City of Prince Rupert, instead of waiting for the ferry service. If the city isn't the final destination, Helijet's helicopter fleet is also capable of delivering passengers right to their work site, camp or provide the aerial site inspection needed to complete the business day.

“It's not just moving people that's important,” says Helijet president and CEO Danny Sitnam. “The flexibility of our fixed wing and helicopter charter services have also proved valuable in the movement of much-needed medical supplies and equipment between YVR and numerous destinations in British Columbia during the global pandemic. With transportation options becoming more and more limited for many communities, keeping customers and crews on the move is of great importance in local economies. And by facilitating custom solutions like our 'last mile' flight transfer into Prince Rupert, we're committed to serving customers who need to maximise their time.

“Time is of the essence in business travel as we start to emerge from the economic impacts of the global pandemic. We believe our fixed wing and rotary services deliver the fastest, most convenient and most flexible travel solution for those travelling between BC's business centres.”