Buffalo Airways’ 737 aircraft has been “on final approach” since the sales agreement was signed last December.
During the gap between the sales agreement and delivery, there were a lot of things that needed to be finished, such as registration and inspection of the plane, said Mikey McBryan, general manager of Buffalo Airways.
Although the airline’s primary base is in Yellowknife, the jet will most likely spend most of its days in Edmonton while all the Northern freight is accumulated and will then fly nightly runs to the North.
“(We’re) growing to the point now, I think we need a 737,” said McBryan. He added that this wasn’t a new service, but an upgrade to the existing one, which means hauling more cargo and quicker delivery times.
The plane, a 737-300 BDSF, is a full freighter and it will be the first jet in Buffalo’s fleet.
“It’s got a high gross kit, which means it can haul the maximum allowed that the air frame is designed for,” said McBryan. “That brings us to a payload of about 41,000 pounds (18,596 kg), and that will be equal to two trailers that you see outside of Walmart. We can do two of them a night.”
He also pointed out the differences between jet planes and aircraft with propellers. A big advantage of propeller planes is that they can land on runways that aren’t paved. But when it comes to the trip between Yellowknife and Edmonton — both with paved runways — there’s greater interest in fuel efficiency, according to McBryan.
“And it’s all about value,” he said. “A lot of people are now ordering and shopping online and everything comes from down south.”
To keep the same or even a better service standard, he said the airline had to step up because that’s “the name of the game.”
Sandy Macpherson, manager of business development with Buffalo Airways, said company’s current system entails a really tight cut-off time when using trucks. The truck has to leave Edmonton early to reach Hay River by a certain time. But with direct flights to Yellowknife, the cut-off time can be pushed to the evening.
“And that makes it possible for people who need to shop until that time and send it to Yellowknife overnight,” he added.