The airline was established in 1992 and started operations in 1997. Since June 1999 it has also been authorized to provide its own aircraft maintenance.
In 2001, the company bought its first fully cargo Convair 580 and started providing cargo service to the United States and the northern region of Canada. In order to respond to the growing cargo market, Nolinor Aviation bought two more full cargo Convair 580s in 2004. In 2006, the fourth passenger Convair 580 was purchased.
In 2004, the Prud'Homme family trust became the majority stockholder. Expanding very rapidly, Nolinor needed more space for its Convair 580 fleet and in 2005 the company moved its maintenance facilities to Mirabel International Airport. The new hangar provides more than 9,300 m2 (100,000 sq ft) and is able to accommodate aircraft like the Boeing 747-200, 777-300, 767, Airbus A310, and A320. The pavement has more than 28,000 m2 (300,000 sq ft). and provides sufficient parking space for all the Nolinor Convair 580s and other maintenance clients.
The cabin of a Nolinor 737-200
In 2006, the company was named one of the best enterprises in the province of Quebec by the National Bank of Canada. Nolinor is taking its share of the market outside the Quebec region.
In 2020, the Montreal Alouettes and Nolinor Aviation planned to team up for the next ten years, as Nolinor remained the club's official charter flight partner. This new deal went even further than the previous one, as a Boeing 737 plane was personalized with the team's logo and colours.[11]
Nolinor also launched OWG, a new airline, to offer a unique travel experience to tropical destinations.[12][13]
In 2003, the Netherlands-based airline branding firm Lila Design re-designed Nolinor's logo and aircraft paint design into a stylized white, blue and gold image.[14]
Incidents and accidents
On 27 November 2024, a Boeing 737-408 (registered C-GGWX), suffered a left-hand main gear collapse during a flapless landing on runway 24 at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. There were no injuries. The aircraft departed Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport at 14:58 UTC on a flight to Saguenay-Bagotville Airport. A fault indication made the crew abort the approach to Saguenay-Bagotville Airport and divert to Mirabel. During landing the left engine nacelle struck the runway and the aircraft slid to a stop. The aircraft was substantially damaged.[15][16][17][18][19]
Fleet
The Nolinor Aviation fleet includes the following aircraft (as of August 10, 2024)[4]
All planes combi aircraft, 119 seats maximum, outfitted with gravel kits. Capable of carrying more than 30,000 lb (14,000 kg) of cargo.[5] Aircraft C-GNLK has the distinction of being the oldest 737 and oldest jet airliner in commercial passenger operation today, having operated since delivery in 1974 (50 years).[20]
The 300 can be configured for up to 130 seats.[6] The 400 can be configured for 159 passengers maximum.[7] Two 737-400s have been delivered in 2020, one is ex-Xtra Airways and the other is ex-AlbaStar.[21] Whole fleet painted in OWG livery, which is Nolinor's leisure travel wing. According to TC there are three 400 series and according to Nolinor there is one.[4][7]
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