Marvelous-Canada: Flying Freight to NWT and Nunavut: Buffalo Airways

Curtiss C-46

Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories is an aviation enthusiast's paradise. Not only the airport with its passenger and freight airplanes but also the floatplane bases within the city’s limits invite visitors to sightseeing flights and airplane spotting.

Buffalo Hangar

BUFFALO AIRWAYS

Jade-green aircraft paint and thick letters on the fuselage: that's how Buffalo Airways aircraft are known. Buffalo Airways is the largest cargo line in the Northwest Territories that delivers year-round freight to remote Arctic places like Cambridge Bay, Deline, Ft Good Hope, Hay River, Kuflukruk, Norman Wells, and Tulita.

Curtiss C-46

The Curtiss C-46, one of the cargo planes once belonged to the German Lufthansa. Buffalo’s Douglas DC-3 flew one of the 1944 Allied landings in Normandy, France (D-Day). The L-188 Electra aircraft - which carries 33.000 lbs of freight - is another rarity, still in service.

Elektra & KingAir

But Buffalo Airways also operates Canadair CL-215 firefighting planes. However, the Naval N3N floatplane, a Noorduyn Norseman, a Cessna A185E, and a Fleet-80 Canuck you might discover in the hangar - they all belong to the founder Buffalo Joe's private collection. A hangar tour is a delight for all vintage aircraft enthusiasts. Best of all: it's free!

Naval N3N

Oldest Fleet

The cargo airline has the oldest fleet of aircraft of any commercial airline in the world. It's not uncommon for a Buffalo Airways pilot to fly three different aircraft types. To keep the vintage cargo planes airworthy, they work day and night in the hangar.

BuffaloAir-DC-3/C-47

The military version - with large cargo doors - of the DC-3, a Douglas C-47 was the first airplane to reach and land at the Northpole in 1952.

The spare parts supply is not easy, because there are usually no parts for the old machines available. Buffalo Airways does, however, have a large fleet of old, sorted-out aircraft, mainly at its Hay River location, which serves as spare parts shop for its cargo fleet.

Elektra & KingAir100

Today, it is mainly the diamond mines in the Canadian Arctic expanse that account for a large share of the cargo volume. Importantly, the aircraft can also land on a gravel runway in the far north - even if there are no mechanics, fuel station, or ground power unit there. For fuel transport, Buffalo has converted some aircraft to tankers.

KingAir90

Passengers to the far north are flown in Beech King Air 90 and King Air 100 aircraft by Buffalo Air. The Northwest Territories government-owned Air Tractors are also maintained here and flown at firefighter missions.

Fleet80Canuck

Buffalo Airways doesn't only restore historic planes but has also successfully shipped all cargo in all sizes and weights throughout its more than fifty years of service, using these planes.
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