What started out 35 years ago as a single engine airplane service to support the expanding mining industry in the Yukon is now a fully fledged commercial airline service, and like its moniker says, it’s “the Yukon’s Airline”.
The GCAT team had the pleasure of flying with Air North from Vancouver to Whitehorse and were impressed by the comfort and service that they encountered on their flight. 
Later we spoke to Joseph Sparling one of the founding shareholders and president of Air North and learned a bit of the history of this airline. On February 1st, 1977 Joseph Sparling and Thomas Wood founded Air North. Originally they provided services of bush flying into remote mining camps; however in 2002 they launched a commercial jet service and began providing a regular link between the Yukon and British Columbia / Alberta. Today Air North employs over 200 people in the Yukon, operate a base in Vancouver staffing over 60 employees, and contributes over 20 million dollars into the Yukon’s economy annually.
Like Joe told us, the Yukon is now a much more affordable and accessible place than it was a decade ago. It is also now even cheaper (30% !) to fly to the Yukon than it was in 2002 when they started their commercial service.
Many people don’t realise that Whitehorse is less than 2.5 hrs flying time from Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. The Yukon is no longer the frontier land that it once was, and this is immediately evident as you explore Whitehorse. Surprisingly multicultural you will find boutique coffee shops, a range of wilderness outfitting stores, and an impressive selection of restaurants, pubs, and shops. The Yukon also has its own brewery and impressive range of beer: the Yukon Brewing Company.
Simply put, the GCAT team suggests that you book a flight with Air North and get yourself up to the Yukon to see firsthand just how fantastic Canada’s north really is.
More information on Air North
