Air North, Yukon's Airline

The History of Air North

Air North was founded in 1977 by Joe Sparling and Tom Wood as Air North Charter and Training. Joe and Tom's original intent was to offer charter flights to the mining industry and flight training services—but it didn't take long for us to grow beyond that original vision—and Joe can still be found in the cockpit more often than he’s in the office.

By the early 1980s, our fleet had grown from a single Cessna 206 to include a variety of aircraft on wheels, floats, and skis—until we acquired the famous and world-tested Douglas DC-3 and DC-4 aircraft.

Just over ten years later the Douglas aircraft were retired in favour of Hawker Siddeley 748 turboprops, and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation of Old Crow expressed an interest in investing in Air North. The investment from the Vuntut Gwitchin made it possible a few years later, in 2002, for us to enter a whole new era with the purchase of two Boeing 737 jets.

In June of 2002, we began flying between Whitehorse and Vancouver, and also connected the Yukon to Alberta with flights to Calgary and Edmonton. Our growth was mirrored in new branding, as we adopted our current operating name: Air North, Yukon's Airline.

Since then, we've purchased more aircraft and modernized our fleet with Boeing 737-400,-500,-800 jets, and ATR 42 turboprops. We added Kelowna, Yellowknife, Ottawa, Mayo and Victoria to our network. Additionally, we opened a restaurant at the Whitehorse Airport called Black Wolf Bistro and now offer vacation packages through Air North Getaways. We are excited for what the future will bring.

A uniquely Yukon travel experience

We believe air travel should be both memorable and enjoyable, and all of our departments—from catering to IT, cabin crew to cargo—work hard to make this a reality. We’re honoured to have been recognized by Trip Advisor who named us Best Specialty and Leisure Airline in North America in 2019 based on customer feedback and reviews.

Complimentary freshly made meals from our Flight Kitchen make your travel experience one that will also appeal to your taste buds—especially when the scent of warm cookies or other delightful treats waft through the cabin.

What makes us unique isn’t just that level of dedication. It’s also that Air North is 100% owned by Yukoners, including the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. One in 15 Yukoners hold an equity or employment stake in the airline.