The airline that serves the Trail Regional Airport is set to be acquired by another company.
Harbour Air announced today that it has an agreement to acquire Pacific Coastal Airlines and form a new regional airline group. However, each of the two companies is expected to keep its own branding.
Harbour Air runs a seaplane network, while Pacific Coastal offers service to 19 destinations in BC.
“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,” the companies said in a joint statement.
The new group will have a fleet of 59 planes and 25 destinations.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval. The timeline and closing date have yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, Pacific Coastal and Harbour Air will continue to operate separately.
“Since 1987, Pacific Coastal Airlines has been proud to connect communities across B.C. and through merging with Harbour Air, we will be able to deliver even more for our guests, employees and the communities we serve,” Pacific Coastal president Quentin Smith said in a news release.
“We are joining an airline that has long served B.C. 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 co-chairs of Trail’s regional airport advisory committee welcomed the news.
“We’re delighted to see a commitment to maintaining and strengthening regional air service and to building on the connections that communities like Trail depend on,” said city councillor Thea Hanson. “For a community our size, having reliable air service to Vancouver opens up much bigger horizons.
“Pacific Coastal has been an important part of our community for many years, and we’re encouraged by the opportunity to build on those connections while getting to know and work with our new partners at Harbour Air. We’re looking forward to seeing how this next chapter can strengthen air service and connectivity for Trail and the region.”
Pacific Coastal offers two flights from Trail to Vancouver most days and one flight on Saturdays. The airline recently celebrated its 20th anniversary serving Trail.
“The commitment to a more weather-resilient network and continued investment in aircraft, infrastructure and maintenance is encouraging,” said councillor Paul Butler. “We’ve seen first-hand the value of that flexibility through Pacific Coastal’s winter Trail shuttle when weather affects operations at Trail.
“The commitment to maintaining service, investing in people and infrastructure, and building a more resilient regional network is good news for Trail. For a community like ours, reliability is just as important as the flight itself. We look forward to continuing the work with Pacific Coastal and to getting to know the Harbour Air team as things move forward.”
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The heads of both companies made the announcement in the video that can be seen below.
