Air Ontario
 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Founded | June 1987 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | January 2001 (merged into Air Canada | ||||||
| Parent company | Air Canada | ||||||
| Headquarters | London, Ontario Canada | ||||||
| Website | www.airontario.com | ||||||
Air Ontario Inc. was a regional Canadian airline headquartered in London, Ontario. In 2002 Air Ontario became Air Canada Jazz.
Great Lakes Airlines (Canada) was formed in 1958, becoming Air Ontario Ltd. in 1983 and Air Ontario Inc. in June 1987 when James Plaxton purchased Great Lakes Airlines prior to its bankruptcy.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Canada, Air Ontario’s operation as an Air Canada Connector code sharing partner increased substantially in the intra-Ontario marketplace with Air Canada’s decision in February 1990, to discontinue Mainline service to North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins and Windsor. Route expansion from Toronto Island Airport nonstop to both Montreal and Ottawa soon followed, along with the addition of new routes into the United States.
In January 2001, a newly merged carrier called Air Canada Regional Inc. was established. A wholly owned subsidiary of Air Canada, this company combined the individual strengths of four regional airlines—Air BC, Air Nova, Air Ontario, and Canadian Regional Airlines. Consolidation of these four companies was completed in 2002 and was marked by the launch of a new name and brand—Air Canada Jazz.
As of 2001, the Air Ontario fleet comprised the following turboprop aircraft:
Total aircraft in fleet in 2001: 48
The airline also previously operated Convair 580 turboprop and Fokker F28 Fellowship jet aircraft. The Convair 580 was initially operated in Air Canada Connector service along with the Dash 8 while the F28 was the only jet aircraft type ever flown by Air Ontario.
...
Wikipedia