Wasaya Airways

Imagine the quantities of food, clothing, hardware, building materials, gasoline, heating fuel, boats, motors, snowmobiles, medical supplies, school and office supplies that are required to meet the needs of over 25 communities with populations of 500 to 4,000 people. Now imagine having to air transport all of the supplies into these communities that do not have road access to southern markets, suppliers and manufacturers.

Enter Wasaya Airways LP. Incorporated by Wasaya Corporation (now Wasaya Group Inc) in 1989 for a requesting group of Northwestern Ontario First Nations, whose purpose was to acquire a controlling interest in what was known as Kelner Airways. In 1993, the Kelner Airways name changed to Wasaya Airways Limited. By this time the Wasaya Corporation had purchased 75% of the Kelner Airways common and preferred shares. In the fall of 1998, Wasaya Airways purchased the remaining common shares and this enabled Wasaya Corporation to hold 100% ownership of Wasaya Airways LP, thus making it 100% First Nation-owned.