Harbour Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines (PCA), two homegrown Canadian operators, have entered into an agreement under which Harbour Air will acquire PCA and form a new regional airline group, keeping both businesses under Canadian ownership.

Harbour Air is North America's largest seaplane firm, connecting communities across the Pacific Northwest for more than 40 years. Operating from its hubs in Vancouver and Victoria, Harbour Air operates a fleet of 40 seaplanes comprising DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, DHC-6 Twin Otter and Cessna Caravan aircraft.

Pacific Coastal Airlines is a British Columbia-based regional airline operating from Vancouver International airport's South Terminal with a 19-strong fleet of Beechcraft 1900 and Saab 340 aircraft. In addition to scheduled flights, the airline provides customised charter and cargo services throughout British Columbia and Western Canada, supporting businesses, tourism and remote communities.

This group will combine Harbour Air's seaplane network and PCA's complementary wheeled flight network to unlock more destinations for its guests and expand valuable air service across British Columbia. The transaction is expected to enable a stronger platform for growth in the Canadian aviation market, along with long-term job opportunities for employees, continued investment in local communities and environmental stewardship.

Operating in a region where air travel is part of valuable infrastructure and its identity, Harbour Air and PCA share a deep commitment to caring for their employees, guests and communities. This combination will build on the 40-year legacies of these two guest- and community-focused airlines. The new group will preserve both brands and different customer focuses, while protecting and growing local jobs, powering economic development in British Columbia. The combined network will maintain current routes while seeking opportunities to provide more options and connectivity for communities across the region.

The transaction advances Harbour Air's vision and ambition to be BC's most trusted, innovative and sustainable regional airline, delivering connections and experiences that strengthen the communities it serves, British Columbia's economic vitality and way of life.

“The creation of this new group is an exciting step for Harbour Air, its employees and for the communities we both serve,” says Bert van der Stege, chief executive officer of Harbour Air. “We have a long standing and deep respect for Pacific Coastal Airlines, for its role as a BC regional airline and its employees who have powered the airline for 40 years. We look forward to welcoming them into the new group and investing together in building the leading regional airline group in Western Canada.”

“Since 1987, Pacific Coastal Airlines has been proud to connect communities across BC and through merging with Harbour Air, we will be able to deliver even more for our guests, employees and the communities we serve,” adds Quentin Smith, president of PCA. "We are joining an airline that has long served BC communities and with a shared culture of service. Under new ownership, we will be able to invest in growth, maintain our brand and continue to build a stronger, better, airline for the communities that count on both of us.”

The combination of Harbour Air and PCA will bring together complementary seaplane and wheeled-aircraft networks to offer guests across British Columbia greater choice, connectivity and year-round reliability. While maintaining both trusted brands, the group will provide service to 25 communities, strengthen Vancouver's role as a key hub for regional and global travel, provide enhanced access to airline partnerships and onward connections through Vancouver International Airport (YVR), enhance loyalty programme benefits and provide more opportunities for affordable travel through an expanded low-fare offering across the network.

Together, the airlines will also deliver meaningful benefits for employees, communities and businesses across British Columbia by creating a stronger, growth-oriented regional airline group. With more than 900 employees, the new group will provide enhanced career development opportunities, protect valuable air services for remote communities, support workforce mobility across key sectors and expand access for businesses that rely on regional connectivity. The transaction will also create new opportunities for tourism and marketing partners, support future infrastructure investment and advance sustainability initiatives and community partnerships across the province.