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SUMMARY: Canada’s PAL Aerospace, owned by Winnipeg based Exchange Income Corporation (EIC), is waiting for Guyana’s government approval to work with local operator Roraima Airways to provide aerial surveillance/patrol flights to the emerging oil and gas industry off shore.

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SEE:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-chlumecky-3200a021/     PAL Aerospace not yet in operation in Guyana-will not be working without gov’t approval, Gouveia says Guyana New – June 20, 2018     PAL Aerospace King Air 200 MPA (maritime patrol aircraft), the aircraft that put Provincial/PAL on the map for MPA ————————————————————————————————————————     Tomas’s Comment:   PAL Aerospace … Continue reading →

Exchange Income Corporation (EIC) of Canada owns several regional airlines in Canada and its stock and financial performance seems to be going up and up. Take a look at the attached PDF Report “Mayday-EIF-Dividend”, a critical overview of the company and its actions, its very interesting. I have included latest EIC financial report in PDF for your preview. Nothing is black and white in this world, most things are in the “grey” zone, always good to get two sides of any story. I look forward to any feedback or comments by those with any info on this matter.

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The critical article is written by an unknown author, who obviously knows EIC, now how truthful it is I do not know, but raises questions for sure, though we will never know the real truth.   Mayday-EIF-Dividend (1) (1) EIC_Package_-_v6_FINAL_20171108181204

SUMMARY: Canada’s Viking Air is shutting down its expensive $7.5M Series 400 Twin Otter production for 90 days and laying off 212 workers (46% of work force) as deliveries have exceeded sales for sometime and one cannot live off one’s backlogs for too long before you have “white tails”, which apparently there are 6 right now in Calgary. The 19 seat utility market is tough, roughly 33 aircraft deliveries per year by just 4 OEM’s, and surely no one really makes money in the market ? While Viking has delivered 120 in the past 7 years, it is far short of the 2006 forecast of 440 (at a price of $3.195M) over 10 years (off by 300%). Could the much higher price (+134% on 2006 price) have something to do with the lower demand ? off course like with all the other OEM’s, the high price ($279,000 to $447,000 per passenger seat) has killed the market (B737-800/A320 at around $275,000 per passenger seat), but with very low production rates what can you do ? Nothing ! Now, Viking is looking at the out of production turbine powered $37M per copy CL-415 water bomber as a possible new production program. The turbine CL-415 had just 90 deliveries in 22 years of production (4.1 per year) while the radial engine CL-215 had 125 deliveries over 21 years (6.0 per year), so no BIG market here in water bombers, maybe 4 to 5 per year ? but I think a 30 seat regional amphibian can make a difference, the CL-215C ‘Transport’ (2 delivered to Venezuela long ago) is a 30 to 36 passenger certified version and the market is out there all over the world, more than for a firefighter, and surely another 4 to 5 CL-415C ‘Transport’ per year, can change the business case for re-starting the production line for the CL-415 ? 10 aircraft and $+375M in annual revenue sounds good (that is equivalent to 50 x Series 400’s).

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READ” Blog on 2016 Turboprop Market (click General Aviation) for more info on the 19 seat market in the March 9, 2017 issue   Viking Air has announced on May 31, 2017 that it is shutting down production of its $7.5 million Twin Otter Series 400 for 90 days and will lay off 212 starting … Continue reading →

SUMMARY: A small airline in Thunder Bay, Ontario, North Star Air Ltd. has been bought for $C 31M ($US 23M) by Winnipeg based North West Company (NWC), a large Canadian grocery and retail company with +218 stores, many in remote and isolated communities across Canada’s North. The driver of this deal was to control its distribution by having its own cargo airline, and not being dependent on what is basically a air cargo monopoly by Calm Air in the Manitoba, Nunavut and Kivalliq regions, where NWC has many stores, and where the First Nations communities are totally dependent on aircraft for all their local needs for most of the year. The acquisition raises the problem of a lack of competition in many parts of the North, where communities and suppliers have all but one choice of airline in and out of many communities, which in many cases allows for high margin “monopoly” pricing. Canada has no Essential Air Service (EAS) like the USA, which subsidizes scheduled air services to 150 markets of which 44 are in remote parts of Alaska with single engine turboprops like the CE-208B to SF340’s and CRJ-200’s at a cost of $250M a year (President Trump looking to cut that). Canadian passengers and suppliers in the North have no choice but to pay the very high fares and freight rates demanded by air operators. Time for a new fresh look at affordable air access in the North ? if we are to develop the North as Ottawa says, then we cannot burden and punish the people there with high fares and freight rates, that make life their very expensive as everything in most communities goes by air, from groceries, lumber to even fuel for electric generators.

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It has been pretty quite on the Canadian airline mergers and acquisition front since the late June, 2016 acquisition of Transwest Airlines (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) by local rival West Wind Aviation (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). That deal created another Provincial regional airline monopoly, just as EIC (Exchange Income Corporation) has in neighboring Manitoba, where it now owns … Continue reading →

SUMMARY: Lots of talk about Bombardier’s Turnaround, 14,500 layoff announcements this year, or 21,450 in the past 3 years. The Global G7000 flew for the first time and Bombardier expects big things from it to boost Bombardier’s bottom line along with the struggling CSeries, which today still has only 320 orders (NO 40 x CS300’s for Republic Airways, just PR not wanting to reduce the meager order book) and still +/- 86 “questionable” orders (representing 26% of the current 320 orders). Lots of effort in reducing labor costs, yet no one is noticing that the top line (revenue) at Aerospace is a coming disaster, and unsustainable with an old product line (1970’s Learjets and Canadair CL-600/Challenger 650, plus the Global G5000/6000) that is facing new and better competition. The CRJ line has no more than 48 orders in backlog, only 18 orders this year (50% from Canada) good for 12 months of production (February, 2018) with no new orders. The Q400 is down to around 34 orders in backlog and only 25 orders this year (50% also from Canada), good for 14 months (March, 2018) with no new orders. The 2020 Turnaround Plan calls for Aerospace to generate $15 billion in revenue (60% of total revenue planned of $25 billion), with just 2 products ? The Plan requires $5 billion from Commercial aircraft, which by 2020 means only the CSeries (CS100/CS300) is left, and that will require at least 140 deliveries at the current highly competitive low prices to hit the “target”, really ? (2020 production is planned at 90-120 aircraft today). Meanwhile, Business jets are to generate $10 billion by 2020, and that will fall on the $75 million Global G7000 (NO Learjets, Challenger 650 and Global G5000/6000’s by 2020) and that means 133+ G7000 deliveries to hit their “target” ? seriously ? has anyone looked at single aisle ACJ and BBJ sales for the past 15 years ? (+/- 15 a year at best). Canada is providing “state aid” (aka taxpayers money) to Bombardier again ($2.5 billion in 2016 from Quebec), in fact of the $3.39 billion of cash on hand as of Sept 30, 2016, $2.5 billion (71% of cash on hand) came from the Government of Quebec, soon another $1.0 billion will most likely come from Ottawa (PM is from Quebec, and they always “help” Bombardier), and then Quebec and Ottawa will be 66.7% owners of the CSeries program (CSALP – CSeries Aircraft Limited Partnership, a separate company, spun off from Bombardier ??). How did we the Canadian taxpayers become “owners” again of a commercial aircraft program that NO commercial aircraft OEM wanted in 2015 when it was for sale for “a song” ? Especially after we the Canadian taxpayers “SOLD” Bombardier, our government owned Canadair in 1986 (for $120 million) and government owned de Havilland in 1992 (for $100 million) with the rights to the Challenger business jet, later stretched into the CRJ line, and the DHC-8 turboprop airliner later stretched into the DHC-8-Q400 line. Meanwhile, Embraer is going to the WTO again to complain about Bombardier’s “illegal state aid”, while Boeing may go to President-elect Donald Trump and get import tariffs applied on the CSeries and then ? Oh, it is going to be an interesting 2017 for sure, stay tuned to the never ending Bombardier/Quebec/Ottawa “gong show”, as they find new ways to screw Canadian taxpayers to keep Bombardier alive at any cost.

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Bombardier has now delivered its first CS100 to Swiss and CS300 to airBaltic and talks confidently of a turnaround next year and a bright future in 2020 as per its 5 year Transformation Plan, that should see company become a $US 25 billion a year company by the end of 2020, with Aerospace to provide … Continue reading →

UPDATE: Transwest Air is now a fully owned subsidiary of WestWind Aviation, now there is only 1 large regional airline in Saskatchewan, and 80% owned by 2 First Nations economic development corporations (EDC’s). These First Nations EDC’s now pretty much own ALL airlines in Canada’s north, usually through Aboriginal economic development corporations (EDC’s), with a few family and corporate hold outs in the Northwest Territories, especially at Yellowknife (Summit Air, Discovery Air-Air Tindi/Great Slave Helicopters, Buffalo Airways) and in Fort Smith Northwestern Air Lease Ltd. Is this a good thing or a bad thing where First Nations own all air services in Canada’s north ? Is this the only viable exit strategy available in the north or are there “pressures” to sell to local First Nations ? and Can the EDC’s create long term financially sustainable airlines ? First Air (Makivik Corp.) and Canadian North (IDA), have tried to merge several times but each time it has failed, even though it makes lots of economic sense to do it, or is more cooperation among the EDC’s needed, like the recent cooperation between Air North and First Air ?

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As to my blog of August 21, 2016, the Transwest Air deal is done and it is now a fully owned subsidiary of WestWind Aviation, which itself is owned 55% by the Athabasca Basin Development (ABD) and 25% owned Prince Albert Development Corporation (PADC), in short 80% First Nation owned with 20% owned by the … Continue reading →

UPDATE: Canadian regional airline consolidation continues as the once fragmented industry starts to consolidate around a single provincial operator. After 11 months under Canada’s CCAA (+/- Chapter 11 bankruptcy/reorganization), Quebec based regional airline, Pascan Aviation is acquired by 2 senior executives in a management buyout (MBO). Meanwhile Saskatchewan based WestWind Aviation, fresh from its acquisition of Osprey Wings last November, looks to takeover its main local competitor, Saab 340 operator Transwest Air, itself the product of two old local airlines and their pioneers (Athabasca Airways of Floyd Glass and La Ronge Aviation of Pat Campling) coming together in 2000, leaving WestWind Aviation a monopoly in Saskatchewan, much like Manitoba with Perimeter Airlines, Calm Air, Keewatin Air and Bearskin Airlines, all under one ownership. Times are changing for regional airlines in Canada, as the second generation of airline owners retire or sell of the businesses that their fathers and mothers built from scratch, usually with nothing more than a single Cessna 180 aircraft. Sad to see the old names disappear, it is the “circle of life”, but the legacies of our Canadian aviation pioneers will always remain with us.

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UPDATE: As I wrote this, I found out that WestWind Aviation (80% First Nation owned) has bought Transwest Air for an undisclosed amount, now only 1 airline exists in Saskatchewan, like it or not.   This is my follow up to the January 5, 2016 article “Consolidation in the Canadian Regional Airline Industry”, as the … Continue reading →

SUMMARY: The 1st Half 2016 numbers are out for Air Canada and Westjet Airlines, the “duopoly” that controls +85% of the Canadian market, where Canadians still have NO domestic or transborder access to a low cost airline. A brief analysis of the financial performance of the 2 Canadian airlines this year with a introduction to airline economics on how a few key numbers drive operating profit. Seems Air Canada does not make an operating profit from passenger services alone, and why its LCC (low cost carrier) rouge has not really cut costs, with the vast majority of savings being higher density seating, and like other Major airline attempts at an in-house LCC in North America like TED (United), Song (Delta #2), Lite (Continental), Express (Delta #1) the cost cutting has NOT gone deep enough, and hence why ALL the North American in-house LCC “experiments” ultimately failed. Lastly, Air Canada’s decision to buy 45 x CS300’s was a politically coerced deal with legal and legislative changes promised by Quebec and Ottawa, and the recent Air Canada threat to “walk away” from the deal if promised legislation was not forthcoming soon, said it all, Air Canada’s EVP Kevin Howlett said it best, “there are alternatives to the CSeries, there are other manufacturers that make comparable airplanes”, meaning we can take it or leave don’t matter as they do have 61 x B737Max firm orders (33 x Max8’s and 28 x Max9’s) to replace its older A319/320’s and E190’s in due course.

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The 1st half 2016 numbers are in for Air Canada and WestJet Airlines, and it’s worth looking at how the 2 airlines that control 85% of the Canadian domestic market, which also has NO low cost airline as of yet (the only OECS) whose citizens have no access to a domestic or transborder LCC (low … Continue reading →

SUMMARY: Once infamous Wasaya Airways is out of bankruptcy proceedings after owing $35 million, and now looking to become the 1st commercial operator of the $US +/- 28 million Airbus C295W aircraft to serve the 12 First Nations of Northern Ontario that own 100% of the airline. Under new President and CEO Michael Rodyniuk, the once poorly run airline finally has potentially a ” bright” future ahead. But what does a Northern Ontario First Nations airline need 5 x C295W’s costing $US +/- 140 million ? there are much cheaper options, especially when cargo does not care what aircraft it flies in. Recent addition to Wasaya Airways Board is Stephen Smith, the once high flying airline executive at Air Toronto, WestJet and Air Canada, a much needed boost to the Board that oversaw lots of mismanagement and chaos over the past 10+ years. Why would any regional airline become the first and only commercial buyer of any aircraft ? What about support for a high utilization operation ? what about resale value one day ? what about certification ? the price ? military maintenance program ? especially when you can get good used ATR-72 freighters ? and when will Canada stop operating 40+ year old B737-200’s and HS 748’s ? as for a modern country we operate older aircraft fleets than many third world nations. Lastly, with only 9 x HS 748’s left in Canada and 15 at best in the world, it will be sad to see the old workhorse fade away after 55 years after production began.

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In June, Airbus demonstrated its C295W transport plane to Northern Ontario based First Nation owned Wasaya Airways (“it is bright” in oji-cree), which comes just as the airline gets creditors approval for its $C 35 million debt restructuring plan, giving just 10% of unsecured debt value to its long list of creditors. The airline has … Continue reading →

UPDATE: Canada’s first ULCC (ultra low cost carrier) is Winnipeg based NewLeaf, which will launch services to 7 Canadian destinations on February 12, 2016 with Boeing B737-400’s operated by Kelowna based Flair Airlines. It is not a perfect business model to start with, but given that Naked Jet/Enerjet and Canada Jetline have not been able to get their business plans executed for the past 2 years, it is better than nothing. In fact, this model was used to run Greyhound Air between July 1996 and September 1997, when Kelowna Flightcraft operated 7 x B727-200’s under its AOC for Greyhound Air, and Winnipeg was the hub, so it has been done before, but today the market landscape is different and it just may work. NewLeaf will offer fares as low as $99 one way but also will need to supplement it’s low fares with “non-ticket” revenue from baggage, seat selection, exit row, food and beverage fees, that today at US based ULCC’s make up around 45% of total revenue or 79% of the ticket price (i.e. Spirit Airlines), so expect that on average that $99 one way ticket will become on average a $+145 one way ticket when all is done and paid, still much lower than what Air Canada and WestJet charge today. Some people still think of WestJet Airlines as a low cost airline, but that story is long gone, as WestJet realized it did not have to be a low cost airline, just come close to Air Canada’s fares and the service would win over. Today Air Canada and WestJet Airlines have roughly the same passenger yields ($/RPM) at around $cents 0.192, both have the same average load factor of +/-81%, their PRASM (passenger revenue per available seat mile) are pretty much the same at $0.155, and Air Canada is reducing its units costs while WestJet’s keep going up. It is time for Canadians to have access to LOW airline fares, and have another choice over the duopoly that runs our airline industry, as we are the ONLY country in the developed world today without a low cost airline, and while Air Canada’s ‘rouge’ is a low cost subsidiary (mostly just due to higher seating density on its aircraft) it’s fares are the same as Air Canada’s, as its role is to make more money for Air Canada and not to reduce air fares to Canadians. It is estimated that 4.8 million Canadians fly each year from US airports that are close to our border (e.g. Buffalo, Detroit, Bellingham, etc.) to save on airfare ! This is the Canadian ULCC opportunity and challenge, to get some of those passengers back. With low frequencies and just 7 airports served, NewLeaf will not threaten Air Canada or WestJet but then 20 years ago WestJet started with 3 B737-200’s and 5 destinations and look at its evolution, every company has to start somewhere. Lastly, Iceland based ULCC operator WOW Air is coming to Canada in May, 2016 and is offering great deals to Iceland at $C 99 one way and $C 149 to Europe, it is about time Canadians had low cost options and let’s hope the low cost trend spreads fast and forces the duopoly to stop ‘milking’ Canadian air travelers !

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Well, Canada finally has another low cost champion, as NewLeaf Travel Company Inc. (http://www.FlyNewLeaf.ca) announces it will begin operating Boeing B737-400 commercial flights to 7 Canadian cities for as little as $99 one way under the AOC of Flair Airlines of Kelowna, B.C. on Friday, February 12, 2016, only 1 week short of the 20th … Continue reading →

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