Quebec aviation company launches new airline with tropical destinations

New airline hopes to fill void Nolinor Aviation is hoping to compete with those airlines offering trips to sunny destinations.

MONTREAL — A new airline will soon be able to take Quebecers to southern destinations.

While airline companies around the world struggle to stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Nolinor Aviation announced on Tuesday the launch of its new airline, OWG.

Until now, the 27-year-old company has been focused on charter transportation to the far north, but has been quietly investing in this new branch since 2018. It’s calling the initiative “the fruit of its continued expansion into a new market.”

“The flight portion of your trip should be an integral part of your vacation,” said OWG president Marco Prud’homme in a statement on Tuesday. “Our goal is to win the hearts of Quebecers with a new airline whose mission is to get travellers excited again.”

The company purchased a fleet of Boeing 737-400s earlier this year and redesigned them to include lighter and sturdier seats, it said.

Nolinor Aviation says operations will begin in the coming months and destinations will be announced shortly. It received authorization from the Minister of Transport to provide international flights as of July 6.