West Wind Aviation Expands Saskatchewan Operations

March 3, 2016 in News
Explorer: Spring 2016

West Wind Aviation, one of Western Canada’s largest air charter companies, alongside its scheduled flight operations, has expanded their operations once again with the purchase of seven fixed wing wheeled aircraft and two hangars from La Ronge-based Osprey Wings Ltd. The announcement was made in November.

“We are very pleased to announce the expansion of West Wind flight operations in Saskatchewan through the acquisition of these assets from Osprey Wings,” said Dennis Baranieski, Vice President, Business Development and Customer Relations with West Wind Aviation. “Osprey is a highly regarded and successful company and our organizations have worked co-operatively for several years. The former Osprey employees are now working for West Wind and we are pleased to have them on board. The Osprey team has a well established reputation for being safety-focused and highly experienced while providing great customer service. And with that, they fit extremely well within the West Wind culture.”

Osprey Wings Ltd. partner Pat O’Brien said, “When our partners started to consider potential purchasers for some of Osprey’s assets, our first choice was to talk to West Wind. Our company’s values – our safety focus, our customer focus – mesh with theirs. We wanted to ensure that our long term customers and our employees would be treated well, and that’s why we entered into these discussions with West Wind.”

The addition of the new aircraft increases the West Wind fleet from 28 to 35. The expanded operation now includes a total of nine bases in Saskatchewan.

“As West Wind continues to build its capacity, many stakeholders will be the beneficiaries,” said Baranieski. “Our customers now have access to an increased fleet of aircraft options. As well, we are now able to serve an expanded number of communities in the province. Providing the highest levels of safety and service continues to be the focus of our West Wind workforce that now numbers approximately 300. Our company, which is owned by First Nations and employees, is extremely enthusiastic about our ability to serve an increased number of customers and communities through this acquisition.”