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| Founded | 1987; 39 years ago (1987) | ||||||
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| AOC # | Pacific Coastal 2870,[2] Wilderness 18449[3] | ||||||
| Hubs | Vancouver International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 27[4] | ||||||
| Destinations | 18[5] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sea Island,Richmond,British Columbia | ||||||
| Key people | Smith family | ||||||
| Website | www www | ||||||
Pacific Coastal Airlines is a Canadianregional airline that operates scheduled, charter and cargo services to destinations inBritish Columbia. Its head office is located in the South Terminal ofVancouver International Airport inRichmond, British Columbia.[6] Its main base is Vancouver International Airport.[5]
The original Pacific Coastal Airlines was established in 1956 asCassidair Services,[7] operating from its base at the airport inCassidy, nowNanaimo Airport, south ofNanaimo.[8] In early 1980, the airline was acquired byJim Pattison Industries and absorbed into Airwest Airlines, also recently acquired by Pattison.[9] At the time of the acquisition, Pacific Coastal was operating on the Nanaimo-Vancouver,Victoria–Nanaimo–Comox–Campbell River–Port Hardy, and Nanaimo-Qualicum Beach–Port Alberni routes.[10] On November 1, 1980, Airwest and several other local airlines recently acquired by Pattison were merged intoAir BC.[11]
The current Pacific Coastal Airlines was established in 1987 by the merger ofPowell Air and thePort Hardy division of Air BC.[12] It acquired the shares and assets ofWilderness Seaplanes on April 1, 1998.
A new airline division, Wilderness Seaplanes, which started service on May 5, 2016, was established to take over the Pacific Coastal Airlines Seaplane Division and is based atPort Hardy andBella Bella.[13][14]
On November 24, 2017,WestJet and Pacific Coastal announced a capacity purchase agreement for Pacific Coastal to operateSaab 340 aircraft under theWestJet Link brand commencing in June 2018. These aircraft were based at the WestJet hub atCalgary International Airport and served destinations such asLethbridge andLloydminster with aircraft also being based atVancouver International Airport with service toCranbrook andComox. On May 13, 2024, WestJet announced that its aircraft capacity purchase agreement with Pacific Coastal was completed, and would not be renewed. Consequently, the airline announced thatWestJet Link would be shut down on October 26 of that year and all operations would be transferred toWestJet Encore by no later than the following day.[15]
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As of July 2024, Pacific Coastal Airlines operates services to the following 20 destinations in British Columbia:[5]
As of July 2025[update], Pacific Coastal Airlines had twenty aircraft registered withTransport Canada, plus seven registered to Wilderness Seaplanes:[4]
| Aircraft | Number | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft 1900 | 11 | 2 -1900C 9 -1900D | 19 passengers, based in Vancouver |
| Cessna 185 Skywagon | 1 | C-185F | 3 passengers, based in Port Hardy, operated by Wilderness Seaplanes |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | 3 | DHC-2 DHC-2 MK. I | 4 passengers, based in Port Hardy, two operated by Wilderness Seaplanes and one by Pacific Coastal (not on website) |
| Grumman G-21 Goose | 4 | G-21A | 9 passengers, based in Port Hardy, includes three craft operated by Wilderness Seaplanes and one by Pacific Coastal (not on website) |
| Saab 340 | 8 | SF340B | 34 passengers, based in Vancouver and Calgary (June 2018). Previously operated forWestJet Link[16] |
| Total | 27 | ||
Pacific Coastal Airline: PCO, PASCO
Pacific Coastal Airlines Head Office Vancouver International Airport - South Terminal 4440 Cowley Crescent Unit 204 Richmond BC V7B 1B8
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