 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1970; 55 years ago (1970) |
| Founder | Nils Christensen |
| Defunct | 2024 |
| Fate | Merged intoDe Havilland Canada |
| Successor | De Havilland Canada |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Key people | Brian Chafe (CEO)[1] |
| Products | DHC-2T Turbo Beaver |
Number of employees | 575[2] |
| Parent | Longview Aviation Capital |
| Website | vikingair |
Viking Air Ltd. was an operator and manufacturer of aircraft, as well as aircraft parts and systems, based atVictoria International Airport inNorth Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The company provides upgrades to theDHC-2 Beaver, spare parts for olderde Havilland Canada aircraft, and components forBell Helicopter Textron. The company operated as a subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital until it was amalgamated into it along with sister companyDe Havilland Canada in August 2024, with the resulting company using the DHC name only.[3]
The company was established in 1970 by Norwegian-born Canadian aviation pioneerNils Christensen, doing overhaul, maintenance and conversions to all types of aircraft but specializing in flying boats.[4] In 1983, Christensen acquired the exclusive rights from de Havilland Canada to manufacture spare parts and to distribute theDHC-2 Beaver and theDHC-3 Otter aircraft. He retired as president of Viking Air in 1987.[5]
The company is a subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital,[6] which is owned bySherry Brydson, granddaughter of deceased newspaper magnateRoy Thomson and cousin ofDavid Thomson, parties of the largest family fortune in Canada.[7]
In May 2005, the company subsequently purchased the parts and service business for all the older de Havilland Canada aircraft fromBombardier Aerospace.[8]On 24 February 2006, Viking purchased thetype certificates from Bombardier for all the discontinued de Havilland Canada designs: theDHC-1 Chipmunk,DHC-2 Beaver,DHC-3 Otter,DHC-4 Caribou,DHC-5 Buffalo,DHC-6 Twin Otter andDHC-7 Dash 7, giving Viking Air the right to manufacture new aircraft if a market should arise for such.[9]
On 2 April 2007, Viking announced that, nineteen years after being discontinued, with 27 orders and options in hand, it was restarting production of the Twin Otter with more powerfulPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34/35 engines.[10] The first flight of the Series 400 technical demonstrator took place on 1 October 2008 atVictoria International Airport.[11] In February 2010 the first new production Twin Otter Series 400 equipped withHoneywell's Primus Apex IFR digital flight deck and configured with a commuter interior took its first flight.[12] The DHC-6-400 series Twin Otter design has all around better performance, it includes more power, space, and now can haul up to 4,280 lbs of freight.[citation needed]
Viking Air also produces upgraded DHC-2 Beavers fitted with aPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop engine called the DHC-2T Turbo Beaver.[13]
In December 2008, Viking Air indicated their intention to put theDHC-5 Buffalo series back into production in Canada at their home factory in North Saanich or inCalgary, Alberta. A potential new production Buffalo would have hadPratt & Whitney Canada PW150 turboprops, aglass cockpit,enhanced vision andnight vision goggle capability. The company proposed the aircraft as a replacement for theRoyal Canadian Air Force fleet of existing DHC-5As but the aircraft was not included in the final assessment in 2016 which chose theEADS CASA C-295.[14][15]
In September 2017, Viking Air announced that it would begin talking to potential customers interested in the CL-415 "SuperScooper" Waterbomber aircraft, with the potential of the company reviving production of the aircraft if it finds demand.[6]
On March 31, 2022, De Havilland Canada Ltd. (under Viking Air) announced plans for the DHC-515 Firefighter Program.[16] Formerly known as theCL-515 program, the new water bomber aircraft builds upon the iconicCL-215 andCL-415 firefighting aircraft with modern features and improvements. Production and final assembly are to occur inCalgary, Alberta, where support for existing in-serviceCL-215 andCL-415 aircraft takes place. The company has signed letters of intent for the purchase of the first 22 DHC-515 aircraft by European customers. The program is expected to bring 500 jobs toCalgary.[17]
In 2006, Viking Air acquired the type certificate for theTrident TR-1 Trigull since 2006, along with the three prototypes built.[18] On 20 June 2016, Viking announced the acquisition of the worldwide amphibious aircraft program from Bombardier, including the type certificate for theCL-215,CL-215T andCL-415 Waterbombers.[19][20] The acquisition was finalized on 3 October.[21]On 29 May 2018, fiveCL-415EAF were sold to US firefighting companyBridger Aerospace, Longview then expected to recruit 200 workers in Calgary for the conversions.[22]
On 8 November 2018, Viking Air parent Longview Aviation acquired theBombardier Dash 8 program and the de Havilland brand from Bombardier to continue Q400 production, in Downsview until the lease ends in 2021, in a deal that closed in the second half of 2019, bringing together all of the DHC type certificates under one umbrella once again.[23]Bombardier announced the sale was for $300 million,[24] and expects $250 million net.[25]After the deal, Longview will have $1 billion (US$670 million) in annual sales and 1,800 workers in Victoria, Calgary and Toronto.[26]By November 2018 the sales of the higher-performance Q400 were slower than the cheaper aircraft from competitorATR.[27]
In January 2019, parent company Longview announced that it would establish a new company in Ontario, under theDe Havilland Aircraft Company of Canada name, to continue production of theBombardier Dash 8 line.[28]The Dash 8 acquisition will vault Longview from 600 to 700 employees to up to 2,000 including theCL-415 new production.After Bombardier sold the Q400 plant in Downsview, Ontario, Longview has three years to find a new location in Ontario where production should stay with 1,000 people.[29]
In February 2022, Longview consolidated its activities, with Viking Air, Longview Aviation, Pacific Sky Training and De Havilland Canada all being rebranded as De Havilland Aircraft of Canada.[30]
As of February 2023, Viking Air has the following aircraft listed withTransport Canada and operate asICAO airline designator VKN, andcall sign TRUE NORTH.[31][32]
| Aircraft | No. of aircraft | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk | 1 | ||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | 6 | MK. I | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 2 | Series 300,Series 310 | |
| Trident TR-1 Trigull | 2 | Viking Air owns the two remaining prototype aircraft, serial # 1 and 3. In 2003 Viking Air indicated an interest in producing the Trigull as aturbine-poweredamphibious aircraft, with a price at that time estimated atUS$400,000, but since then no further news has been released.[18][33][34][35][36] | |
| Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter | 10 | Series 400 | |
| Total | 21 | ||
Viking Air: VKN, TRUE NORTH