Harbour Air has added its first land-based plane to use for charter flights and as backup for its float planes in poor weather.
The eight-passenger Pilatus PC-12 is a single-engine, turboprop aircraft manufactured in Switzerland. It will be based at the south side of the Vancouver International Airport, across from Harbour Air’s floatplane base.
The business focus is the Pacific Northwest. It has a range of up to 1,600 nautical miles and has an executive-style cabin.
The versatile plane, the same make used by the RCMP, is designed to take off and land on short airstrips, including gravel and turf strips, said Greg MacDougall, chief executive of Harbour Air.
He expects the plane to open up new markets for Harbour Air. Since coming into service at the end of July, it has been used to travel to destinations such as Santa Barbara, Calif., Sun Valley, Idaho, Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray and Kelowna.
“Charter flights have always been a part of our business, but now we’re able to offer a land-based option at a cost comparable to that of our seaplanes, which is considerably less than that of a private jet.”
The plane is operated under Tantalus Air, a subsidiary of the Harbour Air Group. It costs about $1,500 per hour to charter the plane, he said. Tantalus will be selling seats online on a seat basis when there are empty travel legs.
Built in 2010, the plane was owned by a private individual who did not put many hours on it, MacDougall said. A new Pilatus would cost about $4 million, he said.
It will be backup for floatplane service when needed, MacDougall said. Floatplanes operate under visual flight rules. The Pilatus operates under instrument flight rules, allowing it to fly in weather that keeps floatplanes tied up, he said.
