Canadian Airline Harbour Air has announced the launch of wheeled flights between Victoria International and Vancouver. As North America's largest seaplane airline, this is quite a novel expansion that will be warmly welcomed by travelers looking for a quick flight to Vancouver, with the added flexibility of flying during hours of darkness, something not available to its seaplane services. New connections between Victoria Harbour and Vancouver Starting on November 4, 2024, Harbour Air customers traveling between Victoria and Vancouver can choose either a seaplane or dry land service.
The Canadian carrier is expanding its flight offerings to include a first-ever wheeled flight service using a 19-seat De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter . Harbour Air has a fleet of 45 aircraft offering up to 300 daily scheduled flights, scenic tours, adventure packages and private flights. The converted Canadian-built Twin Otter will have wheels and de-icing equipment installed, enabling it to fly in diverse weather and operate at airports outside of daylight hours.
This marks a first for the seaplane airline , which has traditionally only flown during visible daylight hours due to its aircraft operating on floats and water. Harbour Air Group Vice President Commercial Chris Fordyce said the airline is excited to launch its first-ever wheeled flights and provide passengers with new flexible early morning and late evening commuting options. "Being limited to flying during daylight-only hours has prevented us from operating at key times desired during winter.
The ability to fly in darkness and operate at airports on wheels is a game changer for us and will provide increased convenience for passengers traveling along these routes." Harbour Air expects its second electric plane to fly in 2024, most likely. The airline already operates more than 20 seaplane flights between Victoria Harbour Airport and Vancouver.
The new service will operate with up to three daily round-trip flights, departing Vancouver International Airport's South Terminal (YVR) at 07:15, 16:00 and 18:25 and from Victoria International (YYJ) at 08:30, 17:15 and 19:45. However, the afternoon service will only operate between December 2, 2024, and February 28, 2025. More seaplane capacity added to other routes Harbour Air operates the largest seaplane fleet in North America, almost exclusively comprised of Canadian-built aircraft from De Havilland.
The fleet includes DHC-3 De Havilland Turbine Single Otter, DHC-6 De Havilland Twin Otter, DHC-2 De Havilland Beaver aircraft and a Cessna Grand Caravan EX . Respectively, those aircraft can seat up to 14,19, six and nine passengers. More flights and seats are being added to the seaplane services While Harbour Air's addition of wheels will be an exciting development, the carrier has also changed its flight network by increasing seats and flights along other popular routes.
These include: Additional daily flights are being added for Powell River-downtown Vancouver and Powell River-Richmond (YVR South) starting in October Extra capacity is being added for Nanaimo connector flights for Sechelt Additional capacity is added for existing Victoria seaplane flights between downtown Vancouver and Victoria Harbour Airport. Get all the latest aviation news for North America here. The airline operates scheduled flights to twelve destinations, including downtown Vancouver, Richmond/YVR, Victoria Harbour Airport, Seattle (WA), Nanaimo, Tofino, Whistler, Sechelt, Salt Spring Island, Powell River, Comox and Victoria International Airport (YYJ).
Harbour Air carries around 500,000 passengers annually and is offering special introductory fares for the new wheeled service for travel between November 4 and November 30, 2024..
