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Northern Connections by Maryann Simson
The 10,750 Inuit inhabitants of Northern Quebec’s remote Nunavik region rely almost exclusively on aircraft to import food and other supplies, and to travel between communities. There are no road links at all between Nunavik – an area larger than California sitting completely above the 55th parallel – and Southern Quebec. In the frigid winter and spring seasons, any shipping lanes that might service the area are frozen over, cutting off Nunavik’s 14 core communities (ranging from 2,375 to just 195 people) from the rest of the world and each other. The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975 saw the Inuit of Nunavik (a name meaning “Great Land”) gain increased political autonomy from the Canadian government and receive a monetary settlement. The people of Nunavik reinvested much of that money into the creation of an airline, owned in full by the Makivik Corporation. “The airline was created in 1978 so the Inuit people could control their own destiny,” says Pita Aatami, president and CEO of Air Inuit. “They needed to
regulate high transport costs and create employment. Most of all, though – since there are no roads leading into any of our communities – we needed the airplanes as our taxis, our buses and our ambulances. It’s our way of getting to the outside world.” Air Inuit is still owned by the Inuit people of northern Quebec. In every way possible, the airline provides assistance to its owners and customers alike to help stimulate the economy, promote trade and maintain autonomy and regional mobility. New business owners, for example, can apply for discounted cargo rates during their first year of operation and receive reduced seat prices to accompany goods transported. “Doing business in the North is about twice as expensive as in the more developed South,” Aatami explains. “In the South, you can rent a facility for your company, but here you must build everything from the ground up, and the building supplies come from the south. We try to make it a little easier for entrepreneurs to travel south and purchase the goods they need to get started while maintaining a profitable business ourselves. It is a challenge.” For the rest of the Nunavik Inuit community, flight discounts of 75 percent are available up to three times each year. These fares are aimed at providing
Air Inuit Air Inuit’s in-flight magazine invites flyers to learn about the Nunavik region and culture. It’s written in three languages: English, French and Inuktitut.
financial relief to passengers and preserving the integrity of the culture by enabling Inuit to stay in touch with one another. Air Inuit also supports numerous community organizations, educational programs, youth athletic training and cultural events, and always considers Inuit people first in hiring practices. Despite the small and widely dispersed community it serves, Air Inuit operates a remarkably large fleet of 24 aircraft on scheduled routes and charter flights. Each aircraft is fit for purpose, and some are even specially adapted for the bracing cold, unique cargo requirements and difficult terrain of the Far North. “We have two 737-200s that are the only jet aircraft in the world able to land on gravel airstrips,” says Aatami.
“Nunavik starts here.” 46
volume 6, edition 1
Airline Passenger Experience Association