By Dayna Fedy-MacDonald | April 12, 2022 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 30 seconds.
Canadian commercial aircraft maintenance provider and air operator, KF Aerospace, has introduced its new passenger air charter service for the leisure, tourism, and workforce transportation markets.
Dubbed Aeroflyer, the charter airline will provide domestic and international charter programs using a fleet of Boeing 737NG aircraft.
During an Aeroflyer launch event on April 11, the operations team said the new enterprise has been in the works for roughly six months, after the company was approached with an opportunity to fly passenger charter.
KF’s Aeroflyer division currently has two 737-600 aircraft that will begin flying as soon as late April. The aircraft, which have Recaro 3520 seats, hold 119 passengers, and have a range of 2200 nautical miles (4,100 kilometers).
KF opted to add one inch of extra legroom in each seat row to offer a more comfortable experience for passengers. The aircraft also offer a full suite of on-board services, including custom catering and wireless in-flight entertainment powered by Bluebox Aviation Systems.
The two 737s have already been painted in the Aeroflyer colors. They are to be based in Kelowna, British Columbia, and Calgary, but Aeroflyer charter operations manager, Nick Samuel, said Aeroflyer is positioning for growth beyond Western Canada.
“In the coming months we plan to expand our fleet across the country to support national and international customers,” he said.
KF director of business development, Bryan Akerstream, added that Aeroflyer is looking to add another two aircraft to the fleet later this year. “The next aircraft will likely be 737-700s,” he said, “which would hold roughly 136 passengers.”
Hamilton is likely to be a future base for the aircraft, as KF already has such a big footprint on YHM airport.
Akerstream said the Aeroflyer service is expected to create roughly 100 jobs across maintenance, flight operations, pilot crews, etc.
The Aeroflyer operations team anticipates that the aircraft — to start with — will fly industrial charter out of Kelowna and Calgary five days a week. The airline will also target vacation charter and sports charter.
When asked what the long-term vision is for Aeroflyer, Akerstream said the intention is to remain within the charter market. “We have no intention of moving into scheduled passenger flights. . . . We believe there is a niche, and our goal is to be in the charter world and be there long term.
“We think we’ve got a great product here.”
