Grounded air service Kasper Transportation back in the sky over northern Ontario

A northwestern Ontario air carrier will once again be able to offer air service to customers throughout the region.

Kasper Air hadits Air Operator Certificate suspended by Transport Canada on December 13, 2016. After a internal reorganizationthe company, now known as KasperTransportation, can once again be in the air.

The owner of the company said it will operate similar to discount carrier NewLeafTravel Company. The travel company mangaes the bookings and marketing, while another separate company manages and operates the aircraft.

"We are pretty much doing the same thing that New Leaf is doing," said Kasper Wabinski, the company's owner.

"We're going to act as an air service provider. So, we're not acting as an airline."

The aircraft used by Kasper Transportation is leased to, and operated byanother company from southern Ontario.

"The physical portion of operating the aircraft is through our partners from Greater Toronto Airways. We facilitate everything around it," he said.

Wabinskisaid the company willoffer charter services, cargo shipments and a mini-bus service through Kasper Transportation.

Currently, the bus service has scheduled runs in several northwestern Ontario communities, including Thunder Bay to Sioux Lookout, as well as Thunder Bay to Geraldton and Longlac.

Wabinski said plans are in the works to expand the bus service to Pickle Lake, Ont. where the air service is based.

The goal is to offer more connections to more communities at a lower cost.

Wabinski would ultimately like to offer passengers travelling south the option to fly to Pickle Lake, and then use land transportation to get to Dryden, Sioux Lookout, or Thunder Bay.