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Company History
Northern Thunderbird Air was formed in 1971 with the amalgamation of two of northern British Columbia’s Airlines – Northern Mountain and Thunderbird.
Northern Mountain began operations at Fort St. James in 1959 and by 1971 was one of the larger Airlines in British Columbia. With a mixed fleet of Cessnas, Beavers, Beech 18’s, Grumman Goose and Helicopters; Northern Mountain had spread its wings over most of the North including Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories. By spinning off its airplane division to merge with Thunderbird in 1971, Northern Mountain was able to concentrate its efforts on helicopters only and did so until the year 2000.
Thunderbird started in the early sixties when it acquired the Bush Operations of Pacific Western Airlines in Prince George. From its base at Tabor Lake, Thunderbird operated Cessnas, Beavers and Otters on floats and skis servicing the new town of Mackenzie and the northern villages and logging camps of Williston Lake. In the early seventies, Thunderbird secured a subcontract from Pacific Western Airlines to service the smaller communities of B.C. to feed that traffic into PWA’s jet aircraft at Prince George, Kamloops and Kelowna. The need for a hangar on the Prince George Airport to fulfill this contract was the catalyst for the merger talks that resulted in the formation of Northern Thunderbird Air in 1971.
In the years since its inception NT Air has ebbed and flowed with the times. The early eighties saw the company with 18 aircraft, 3 bases, 21 scheduled points and numerous employees while the late nineties saw the company with 1 aircraft, 1 base, 2 scheduled points and 5 employees. In the ever changing world of aviation, Northern Thunderbird Air has proven its ability to adapt to new challenges whether they are economical, technical or a customer’s unique requirement.
We look back upon our long history with pride but also look forward to our bright future. We have grown carefully and orderly to 11 aircraft, 3 bases, 7 scheduled points and 70 employees. We are strategically positioned throughout British Columbia and offer a wide variety of aircraft services. Most importantly, we have a very strong team of dedicated professionals who are exceptional in their experience and customer service. NT Air would be privileged to have you be a part of our loyal clientele and our long future.
Safety
The management team at Northern Thunderbird Air believes safety is of utmost importance and is dedicated to ensuring that our employees and the traveling public see our corporate identity reflecting safety as a crucial element in all operations at all times.
As a company we strive to have zero accidents and to eliminate dangerous situations that may result in injury to personnel or damage to equipment. To achieve this we recognize that we must be proactive in our approach to safety.
Consequently, the Company Safety Program has been established in order to improve the flow of communications with regards to company health and safety issues and to promote a constructive and professional safety culture at Northern Thunderbird Air.
All employees are personally responsible to perform their duties, giving primary concern to the safety of our customers, their own safety, the safety of their fellow employees, and the property and equipment entrusted to their care.
