Keystone Air Service Ltd.
Northern roots Arlt, who is a pilot, was flying for Gabrielle Air Service in Swan River in northern Manitoba when the company encountered some financial turbulence and went into receivership. Arlt purchased the assets in 1985 and began turning it around. There were only four employees and two planes at the time, and the company was operating a regular scheduled daily passenger flight between Swan River and Winnipeg. “We lived in Swan River, and we kept going back and forth to Winnipeg,” says Arlt. “Then, as business improved, we added more planes and we used Winnipeg as a sub-base and began to do charters out of Winnipeg.” Eventually, in 2002, Arlt moved the company to Winnipeg. Business improved steadily to where the company, now named Keystone Air Service, owns and operates nine aircraft today, but the president is still open to more growth as business warrants. The company employs from 30 to 35, and more in the summer. He is also happy to report that his son, Andrew Arlt, has joined him in the business. The younger Arlt is Chief Pilot and Vice-President, and Cliff is pleased at the prospect that his son will take over as president when he retires.
Expansion In order to accommodate growth, Arlt built a brand new building in St. Andrews, more than doubling the size of the facilities. “One hangar is 16,800 square feet, while the office is 3,000 square feet,” says Arlt. One of the hangars is used for Keystone’s sister company, Keystone Aircraft Maintenance, which is owned and operated by the president’s wife, Anna Arlt. The maintenance company offers a variety of services to Keystone’s own aircraft and those of other owners. They include fixing and repairing piston and turboprop planes including avionics and structural repairs. Since 2006, the company has added three airplanes to build its current fleet of nine.
“We have flown with Keystone Air Service for years, sometimes 8 to 10 charters a month, and many of our clients use the service too. We find the company dependable and very competitive cost wise.” – Ben Van Hoek, President, Aboriginal Strategies, consulting firm active in northern Ontario and northern Manitoba. Business & Trade Magazine®
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