NORD AFRICA AVIAZIONE, S. p. A. See ALA LITTORIA, S. p. A

NORDAIR, LTD.: Canada (1956-1987). On November 27, 1956, Roberval-based Boreal Airways, Ltd., which had been established by Francois Ross in May 1947, is reformed and adopts as its new corporate identity the title Nordair, nord being the French word for “north.”

Simultaneously, company headquarters are transferred to Montreal and although contract work continues (especially on the Canadian radar defense lines), services are opened to La Tuque, Roberval, and Chi-bougamau. The initial fleet comprises 2 Douglas DC-3s, 1 Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1 Noorduyn Norseman V, and an ex-military Noorduyn UC-64, plus 3 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers and 1 Cessna 180.

In January 1957, the company is authorized to begin expansion outside of Quebec Province. A Beech 18S, a Consolidated PBY-5A Canso, and a second Norseman V are acquired in April and are employed to inaugurate twice-weekly service from Montreal to Frobisher Bay (Baffin Island) via Roberval and Fort Chimo on May 24. The Beechcraft is also employed to undertake ice patrol flights under contract to the national government. A Republic RC-3 joins the fleet in July.

Another Canso is acquired in June 1958 and orders are now placed for DC-4s. Another DC-3 is acquired in early February 1959; with it, the Frobisher Bay route is extended via Roberval and Fort Chimo to Great Whale and Hopes Advance Bay on February 27. The first DC-4 is delivered in March along with another Canso. Quebec City to Lake St. John flights commence on April 1, followed on June 23 by a further stretch of the Frobisher run to Cape Dyer and Resolute Bay. The Noor-duyn Norseman V and UC-64 are sold in October.

In April 1960, the heavy transport division and scheduled routes of St. Jovite-based Wheeler Airlines, Ltd. are purchased, together with its three DC-4s and four C-46s, leaving Wheeler to concentrate on charter flights under the name Wheeler Airlines (1960), Ltd.

The newly acquired routes, including the contract Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line resupply services, are maintained, St. Jovite-Montreal-Val d’Or-Great Whale. The same month, the Cessna 180, two DHC-2s, and a second, recently acquired Norseman V are disposed of to Wheeler Airlines (1960), Ltd. Later in the year, the Sarnia-Windsor and London routes of Sarnia Airlines, Ltd. are also taken over.

The fleet in 1961 comprises 5 Douglas DC-4s, 8 DC-3s, 5 Curtiss C-46A/Cs, and 6 Consolidated PBY-5A Cansos. A Seaway Service is initiated during the summer with three DC-3s received in June; the linkage connects Montreal with Windsor via Kingston, Oshawa, Hamilton, London, and Sarnia.

A Curtiss C-46C with two crew and seven passengers crash-lands at Scapa Lake on August 9; although the Commando must be written off, there are no fatalities.

Two Handley Page Herald 200s are acquired in February and March 1962; however, both are passed on to other airlines in November when the Seaway Service is ended, one to Maritime Central Airways, Ltd. (MCA) and one to Eastern Provincial Airways, Ltd. (EPA). Meanwhile, during the summer, flights begin to Resolute Bay with a pair of DC-3s obtained in May and July respectively.

Another C-46 is purchased in March 1963, followed by two Cessna 310Cs in June. The carrier is excluded from the September arrangement whereby MCA, which owns significant stock, is purchased by EPA. Simultaneously, it sells the last UC-64 and two PBY-5As. The following month, the carrier receives a DC-6A that it will employ on charter services.

A DC-7C is acquired in April 1964 and the first of five Lockheed L-1049Hs join the fleet in August (on lease from Montreal Air Services, Ltd.), allowing the inauguration of inclusive-tour charter flights to Europe and Jamaica; four were previously operated by the

Miami-based carrier National Airlines. A DC-3 is sold in November and in December, following the sale of the DC-6A and DC-7C, four more Lockheeds arrive from National Airlines. The Cessna 310Cs are sold in September and October 1965; however, an Aero Commander 560 is received in December.

In 1966, orders are placed for three Boeing 737-2E1s. In March, a C-46A is sold to Channel Airlift, Ltd., with a second sold to that carrier in May.

En route from Montreal on June 20, a C-46E with two crew disappears over Chutes des Passes, Lake Peribonca, Northwest Territories; wreckage is found three days later and there are no survivors.

The Curtiss is replaced by another C-46A, which is delivered in September. During the year, a Super H Constellation is leased to Eastern Provincial Airways, Ltd. (EPA).

Requests are made to Modern Air Transport in 1967 for the wet-lease of CV-990A Coronados.

Two more C-46As arrive in May. A chartered C-46T with two crew and two passengers lands 4,500-ft. short of the runway at Cape Dyer in whiteout conditions on May 15; the plane is destroyed and all aboard are killed.

The ice patrol contract first received in 1957 is lost to Kenting Aviation, Ltd.

Not including Super Constellation charters, the carrier’s 3 DC-4s and 4 DC-3s carry 54,729 scheduled passengers over 43.3 million revenue passenger miles.

Four CV-990As are received in February 1968, but only two enter service, these with Modern Air Transport crews on the Montreal-Europe charter routes. Still, their employment gives the company the honor of becoming the first Canadian regional airline to offer jet transatlantic flights.

The same month, the company’s Aero Commander 560 is sold. Orders are now placed for three Fairchild Hiller FH-227Bs (stretched American-made Fokker Fairchild F-27s). In February, April, and May, three DC-3s are withdrawn, with a DC-4 following them out of service in July and a C-46A in September.

Their charter work completed, the CV-990As are returned to their owner in October.

The first Boeing B-737-2E1 is delivered in November, joining a fleet that still comprises 4 C-46s, 3 DC-4s, 4 DC-3s, and 4 L-1049Hs. The little Boeing is equipped with the first gravel runway kit, a C$1-million conversion designed to help prevent the kicking up of ground debris into vulnerable areas.

In December, the Boeing jetliner replaces DC-4s on the Frobisher Bay route.

The workforce stands at 380 in 1969. In January, the Constellations are all leased to the relief agency Canairelief, sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of Canada, which will employ them to fly food and medical supplies to Biafra, the breakaway province of the African nation of Nigeria. Weekly return flights between Montreal and Resolution Bay, Cornwallis Island, are announced on March 19 and will be the world’s first scheduled jet services within the Arctic circle.

In April, the subsidiary Nordair (Arctic), Ltd. is formed to operate feeder routes out of Frobisher with a de Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter and a Short SC-7 Skyvan. The Frobisher route is extended to Resolute Bay in early spring. Pending delivery of its ordered aircraft, three B-737-222s are leased from United Airlines. One is received in May, but is immediately leased to EPA. The other two are delivered in June to launch the Arctic jetliner service. On August 3, a Canairelief L-1049H crashes while landing at Uli, the last airfield held by the Biafran rebels.

The Canadian government now announces a new regional airline policy and route division; Nordair is assigned responsibility for scheduled services in eastern and southern Ontario, western Quebec, and contiguous Arctic areas. During the remainder of the year, a C-46 and two DC-4s are retired as interest in the charter and tour business wanes. On December 17, strafing at Uli destroys a second Canairelief L-1049.

Enplanements total 55,224 scheduled passengers.

Airline employment is increased by five in 1970. A C-46A is sold in February. In May, the two United Boeings are returned to that American airline and EPA returns its leased jetliner to Nordair. Simultaneously, a third aircraft, a B-737-242C, is acquired and another is ordered.

A five-year contract is signed with the Canadian Department of Supply and Services for ice reconnaissance patrols. A DC-3 is sold to Northern Wings, Ltd. in December. Fares are raised 7.5% for northern services and 11% for southern. Deception Bay flights commence in July.

Passenger boardings skyrocket 61.4% to 143,067 and freight traffic is up 18.5%.

Montreal-Ottawa service begins in April 1971 and another Boeing 737-242C arrives in May. A hangar fire at Hall Beach, Northwest Territories, destroys a C-46A on June 30.

The first of three FH-227Bs is delivered in August and begins to take over the DEW Line lateral supply flights. The first international scheduled route, Montreal-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is opened in September. Two specially equipped Lockheed L-188C Electras are acquired and begin flying the government-contracted ice patrol from bases at Frobisher, Inuvik, Summerside, and Gander. Bookings dip to 110,400.

The employee population in 1972 stands at 621. Two more FH-227Bs and a DC-3 are delivered and are employed to reopen the Seaway Service. An L-188CF freighter is purchased from the American carrier Northwest Airlines on March 21. With the addition of Windsor to the southern scheduled network in May, the carrier now serves the longest north-south route in Canada—2,840 miles Windsor to Resolute Bay.

In August, flights begin from Montreal to the James Bay Development Project in northwest Quebec. The fleet now comprises 3 B-737-200s, 6 DC-3s, 1 DC-4, 3 C-46s, 1 DHC-6-300, 1 Grumman TurboMallard, 3 L-188s, 3 FH-227s, and 2 PBY-5A Cansos. A C-46A is lost at Lake Randall, Quebec, on December 20.

Passenger boardings accelerate 20% to 138,000 and cargo is up 3.1%. A C $763,000 profit is reported.

A DC-3 is badly damaged on February 6, 1973, when it is hit by a truck at Montreal.

A fourth B-737, a Dash-212, is delivered in March as one DC-3 and the last DHC-2 Beaver, the two Cansos, and final DC-4 are retired. On an application given the Canadian green light the previous year, the Danes approve the start-up of Frobisher Bay-Sondre Stromfjoid scheduled service.

Enplanements soar to 342,760 and a C$2.2-million profit is earned.

The workforce is increased to 914 in 1974. Leaving the main fleet all-jet, the final four C-46As and a DC-3s are retired. B-737-212 Montreal-Hall Beach, Melville Peninsula, service is launched during the summer. A DC-8-61CF, purchased from Evergreen International Airlines, is placed in service in early November on charter flights from Toronto-Cuba and Montreal-London.

Passenger bookings increase 24% to 451,000 and cargo is up 13%.

Forty-seven new employees are hired in 1975 as another B-737-242 joins the fleet. A DC-3 is badly damaged in a fire at La Grande on November 15. At the end of the year, the L-188CF is put into storage.

Passenger traffic accelerates a modest 2% as 463,636 passengers are flown; freight climbs 6%. A net profit of C $1.31 million is posted.

The employee population declines 5% in 1976 to 913. All three DHC-6-300s are sold to Nordair (Arctic), Ltd. in January. The final two DC-3s are sold, one in February and the other in July. In an effort to boost freight traffic, development of cargo service on the southern network is undertaken. The Turbo Mallard is sold in September. Service to a number of small Arctic settlements served from Frobisher Bay are turned over to Bradley Air Services, Ltd.

Passenger boardings, meanwhile, advance 25% to 580,000 and cargo accelerates, overall, 5%. This year’s net profit is C $1.24 million.

President Roland G. Lefrancois becomes vice chairman and is succeeded early in 1977 by Andre F. Lejotte. On March 31, an L-188C ice patrol aircraft parked at CFB Summerside is nearly destroyed when struck during a bad landing by an RCAF CL-28 Argus; there are no fatalities in the incident.

Scheduled services are now initiated from Montreal to Fort Chimo via Quebec City. An Electra purchased from Reeve Aleutian Airlines back in 1972 is sold to Northwest Territory Air, Ltd. in November. En-planements are up to 686,000. Late in the year, Chairman James F. Tooley places the carrier up for sale.

After almost a year of repair by Van Nuys, California-based American Jet Industries, the badly damaged ice patrol Electra is rebuilt and returned to Nordair, Ltd. in February 1978 and re-registered.

Chairman Tooley and President/CEO Lizotte oversee a workforce of 875 and the fleet now comprises 2 Electras, 6 B-737-200s, and 3 Fairchild Hiller FH-227s. Air Canada, Ltd. receives approval to purchase the carrier’s stock late in the first quarter and the Montreal-based flag line now takes a major (86.4%) interest. At the same time, Nordair is authorized to operate Transair, Ltd.’s former Toronto-Winnipeg route via Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, and Dryden. Also in the spring, B-737-242 flights commence from Frobisher to Resolute Bay.

Final approval for the state carrier’s acquisition of Nordair is received on July 28; for political and economic reasons, it is decided that the new subsidiary will be allowed to retain its previous identity. Still, Air Canada, Ltd. asks its new partner to assume more inclusive-tour and passenger charter work. The first of two DC-8-52s is acquired in November, allowing transatlantic and Florida charter and inclusive-tour flights the desired new beginning.

Bookings climb to 687,000 during 12 months, but freight is down a slight 0.01%.

Following Transair, Ltd.’s merger into Pacific Western Airlines, Ltd., major expansion occurs in 1979 as the scheduled Toronto-Winnipeg route of Transair, Ltd. is assumed by Nordair on February 1. With this new operation, plus expanded charter opportunities and the arrival of another DC-8-52 and four additional B-737-200Cs, passenger boardings skyrocket 64.3% to 1,129,000, passing the million mark in boardings per year for the first time, while freight grows by 1.8%, due largely to the addition of two purchased DC-8-61CFs.

The fleet in 1980 comprises 6 B-737-2E1s, 6 B-727-200Cs, 2 DC-8-61CFs, 2 DC-8-52s, 2 L-188s, and 3 FH-227Bs. The two DC-8-52s are withdrawn from service in April and placed up for sale. The Quebec government purchases 11% interest in the carrier.

Passenger bookings jump 15.6% to 1.2 million and cargo climbs 5.1%. Revenues advance 5.8% to C$125 million and expenses are up 3.8% to C$117 million. Operating profit soars 53.6% to C$7.6 million and the net profit rises 33.6% to C$2.7 million.

Traffic is virtually flat in 1981 as cargo remains unchanged and passenger boardings dip 0.06% to 1,218,000. The operating profit is C $5.5 million and the net is C $ 2 million.

The workforce is cut 1.9% in 1982 to 1,265. Jean E. Donville is named president early in the year. The only significant accident ever to occur to a jetliner in direct Nordair service is the collapse of a nosewheel during a Sault Ste. Marie landing in January. In May, B-737-242 charters are initiated from Halifax to Bermuda, followed by similar flights from Toronto to San Juan.

A five-month strike of ground personnel represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) causes suspension of scheduled services over half of the network. This work stoppage, when coupled with generally depressed economic conditions, brings a sharp traffic drop and the first financial loss in 20 years. Two FH-227Bs are purchased from TAT (Touraine Air Transport, S. A.) in November.

Passenger boardings fall 34.6% to 767,722 and freight is off 4.7% to 23 million FTKs. Total revenues decline 11.4% to C$101.6 million. Losses are C$1.3 million (operating) and C$1.97 million (net).

The workforce at President/CEO Doubille’s company is increased 1.3% in 1983 to 1,285. Cost-saving measures are adopted, including the rationalization of frequencies on some routes. Still, the airline, employing two dedicated FH-227s, continues to win and execute an annual contract for the resupply of Arctic DEW Line bases.

The two DC-8-61CFs and two B-737-200Cs are sold, bringing a C$3.1-million gain. The Florida charter program becomes more extensive as innovative marketing schemes are undertaken to attract people to the carrier’s standard airline operations.

A new corporate image is unveiled, tied in with the shift of the head office to Montreal’s Mount-Royale suburb, including a new logo and new aircraft livery. The DC-8-52s are sold to Onyx in October. Also in October, the carrier begins operating a B-737-209 belonging to Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A. from Montreal to Detroit as an extension of the European carrier’s Brussels-Montreal route. The arrangement will be renewed during every winter season through 1987.

Passenger boardings jump 25.1% to 961,000 and freight rises 13.6% to 22.1 million FTKs. Revenues accelerate 23.6% to C$121.2 million and expenses climb 18.8% to C$117.6 million, leaving a C$3.5-million operating profit and a C$3.9-million net profit, the latter due largely to the aircraft sale.

A plan is developed in 1984 to shift ownership away from Air Canada, Ltd. (86.4% shareholding) to a joint consortium that includes investment from Innocan and the employee group Participation Nordair. This arrangement is tentatively completed during the summer. During the same sunny months, extensive charter work is undertaken between cities in eastern Canada and Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Toronto to Charlottetown and St. John’s charters also begin.

The carrier’s FH-227Bs are assigned to participate in Rapidair Service flights linking Montreal with Chibougamau and with Ottawa, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. Late in the year, Montreal-St. Petersburg scheduled services are inaugurated. In October, a B-737-214 is leased from Dan Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd.

Passenger boardings jump 18.6% to 1,139,000 while cargo is up 7.7%. Operating revenues increase 16.4% to C$129.4 million while expenses rise 15.8% to C$125.5 million. Profits are C$4.16 million (operating) and C$1.8 million (net).

The employee population advances 1.7% in 1985 to 1,339. Twice-weekly nonstop flights are added on April 30 from Montreal to Orlando, complementing an already existing Montreal-Fort Lauderdale service. The Dan Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd. Boeing is returned in April and in May is replaced by another chartered for a year from Britannia Airways, Ltd. The employee-Innocan buyout scheme falls through and following takeover bids by Quebecair, Ltd. and the Quebec government, 60% control of the carrier (the employee-Innocan interest) is purchased for C$17 million in November by CP Air, Ltd.

Because the Quebec government refuses to sell its interest, CP Air, Ltd. elects to operate its new subsidiary, at least for awhile, as an independent entity under its previous name. Participation in the Rapidair operation ends.

One more B-737-200C is placed in service as passenger bookings jump 21.9% to 1,387,830 and cargo grows 5.7% to 25.2 million FTKs.

Beginning in January 1986, Nordair flights are arranged to coincide with those of its majority owner and further integration of the two are listed in CP Air, Ltd. schedules. Joining with three private investors in February, the carrier (taking 35% interest) forms the Montreal-based, third-level Nordair Metro, Ltd. Equipped with four Convair CV-580s, the feeder begins service on March 31 from Montreal to Ottawa and Quebec City; flights from Montreal to Bagotville commence on April 14.

A major development occurs in July when the Nordair Metro, Ltd. investors purchase Quebecair, Ltd. (and its 22% interest in Nordair) from the Quebec government for C$21 million, operating it under its own name as a scaled-down local service carrier and replacing some B-737-200 service with CV-580 runs. Having now come to hold upwards of 80% of Nordair, Canadian Pacific Airlines, Ltd. (CP Air, Ltd. renamed) moves to finish its integration.

In the fall, the subsidiary is transferred from Air Canada, Ltd.’s. to CPA’s reservations system. Following a bomb threat, a B-737-200C flight from Montreal to Toronto is forced to make an emergency landing at Ottawa on October 15.

Customer bookings for the year dip 1.9% to 938,494 and freight falls 12.2% to 19.8 million FTKs.

On January 27, 1987, Nordair ceases to exist. Nine B-737-200s are sold in January and a 10th in April.