Canada's Nolinor Aviation had planned to frequently fly south in recent months, as it has multiple clients in the Montreal region that like to spend their holidays in the Caribbean. But, because of the COVID crisis, the plan was put on hold. The company has nonetheless been very happy with the charter requests it has received so far for its fleet of Boeing 737-400s. “We currently have six Boeing 737-200 in operation, and they are very busy up north for the gravel runways," comments company president Marco Prud'homme. “Our Boeing 737-300 and our two Boeing 737-400 have been quite busy. Our third Boeing 737-400 will be online in December 2021.”

He goes on to say that things are slowly returning to normal. “Our team was able to make the most out of this pandemic because of our business culture. We are able to adapt very rapidly because that’s when our team shines the most. We wish that everything goes back to normal eventually, not only for us but for our industry. Every airline that was able to survive this crisis has our deepest admiration. Canadian airlines should have bonus points for still being alive with the very low level of help they have received.”

Nolinor has created a separate brand name, OWG, for its southern flights division. Starting on 12 September, OWG will be the official carrier of the Quebec adaptation of the TV show Love Island. This first major partnership with a prime-time show should enable OWG to introduce its new fleet of aircraft to the public. With the return to ‘normal’ and the winter of 2022 approaching, this is an important step for the airline to get travellers excited about sun destinations again, according to Prud'homme.

In order to highlight the destination featured in the show, l’île de l’amour, OWG will offer a series of exclusive flights and packages to Los Cabos as soon as the show airs.