Purolator Inc., Canada’s largest integrated parcel carrier, will upgrade its feeder network in British Columbia by replacing three aging Convair freighters with three ATR72-500 turboprop freighters, which will be operated by longtime partner KF Aerospace under a new 10-year contract.
KF Aerospace, which provides heavy maintenance, airframe modifications, passenger charter flights and other aviation services, has exclusively operated Purolator’s air network in British Columbia since 2015 through its Kelowna Flightcraft division. It will replace its three Convair aircraft with three ATR72-500 aircraft – two configured to accept containers and one bulk loader.
KF Aerospace said the fleet modernization will provide improved fuel efficiency and greater flexibility in handling various cargo needs. It also has the potential to help Purolator expand into other markets. KF Aerospace will oversee the procurement and conversion of the ATR72-500s, with one conversion already nearing completion at KF’s main maintenance facility in Kelowna.
“The addition of the ATR72-500F aircraft will increase range, capacity and efficiency and ensure Purolator’s mission of on-time reliability continues well into the future,” said Tracy Medve, CEO of KF Aerospace, in a press release .
Purolator’s network in British Columbia connects Victoria and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, as well as Kelowna, Kamloops and Prince George, to Purolator’s hub at Vancouver International Airport. Purolator, which is majority owned by Canada Post, partners with Cargojet, Air Canada and other commercial and regional airlines to transport packages by air across the country.
The three Convair 580s from KF Aerospace for Purolator were manufactured in the early 1950s and are therefore at least 70 years old.
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