The new ATR 42-500 aircraft, labelled C-GRYI, arrives in Saskatoon (Submitted Photo/Rise Air)

By Derek Craddock

NEW HORIZONS

New aircraft bringing more capacity, flights to northern Sask.

Apr 18, 2024 | 4:00 PM

It’s not every day that a new airplane brings plenty of excitement, but for those who travel to the far north of Saskatchewan, it means more open doors and opportunities for the region.

Last week, Rise Air announced it added a second ATR 42-500 aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop plane to its fleet.

CEO of Rise Air Derek Nice told paNOW the aircraft was the latest step in its plan to upgrade all the aircraft in the company.

The plane allows for more passengers and more flights to remote communities in the north. Nice said it offers the company a way to recover from disruptive events like inclement weather.

The new ATR 42-500 arrives in Saskatoon for Rise Air. (Submitted Photo/Rise Air)

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While the new plane is mostly used to transport those working in northern Saskatchewan, Nice admitted it could contribute to the overall industry in the area.

“We’re seeing some strong demand in northern Saskatchewan not only for Rise Air but for the entire aviation industry, which is being driven by the increase in exploration activity in the resource sector,” he said.

According to Nice, this is because of the global demand for uranium and other resources in the north.

Last week, Rockridge Resources, a company from B.C., received an exploration permit for its Knife Lake Copper Project outside of Sandy Bay.

Cameco, a Saskatoon-based mining company operates several sites in the north including Key Lake, Uranium City, and Cigar Lake.

Aside from acquiring the ATR 42-500, Nice said that Rise Air’s upgrade plans will benefit travellers in the future, especially with climate change concerns affecting other modes of travel to the region.

“At a time when we’re seeing that there’s much more variability, for example, the ice roads and the ice road season is not what it was in the past,” he said.

“There’s that need for much more redundancy on the cargo side and we’re happy that we’re able to step up and meet some of that increased demand.”

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com