To better serve the communities of Nunavik and beyond, we are proud to present C-FTUZ, Air Inuit’s very first New Generation Boeing 737-800. This modern addition to our fleet was converted to all-cargo and showcased at our Montreal hangar sporting our company colours. It started its commercial operations last July.

“Air Inuit serves as a critical infrastructure for the people of Nunavik, and this acquisition is a powerful demonstration of how we are continuously improving and modernizing to meet customer needs as we fulfill our mission as an essential service,” says Christian Busch, Air Inuit President and CEO. “C-FTUZ is one of three such aircraft acquired to join the fleet as part of our mission to provide world-class passenger and freight service to the communities we serve, while also supporting our airline’s goal of reducing carbon emissions and doing our part against climate change, given they allow us to cut fuel emissions by at least 30 per cent,” he continues.

C-FTUZ has been outfitted to serve exclusively as a freighter aircraft with a large main deck cargo door, a capacity of 23,000 kilograms and operating primarily between Montreal and Air Inuit’s cargo hubs in Kuujjuaq and La Grande to eventually also service Puvirnituq. The other two aircraft will become the world’s first two B737-800NG combis – an innovative Air Inuit configuration solution to provide both safe, comfortable passenger service and reliable freight delivery simultaneously – and are planned to go into service in June 2025. As part of our ongoing fleet modernization program, these three new aircraft will eventually replace our fleet of venerable B737-200s.

Inaugural freight delivery to Nunavik: a team effort

This new acquisition was made possible thanks to a colossal effort on the part of Air Inuit’s teams, who worked together to get C-FTUZ ready and operational for its inaugural freight delivery flight to Kuujjuaq on July 16. As Captain Andrew Gordon, who flew this first flight with Canadian North Instructor Pilot Trevor Narraway, attests, “the success of the inaugural flight was made possible by a huge amount of work by the team over the past few years, assisting me with both the technical learning and the coverage of the 200s so that daily operations could be managed while getting the 800 online – this accomplishment would have been impossible without them!” he says. “When everything aligned and Louis (Simon), Trevor (Narraway) and I first got airborne on July 16th, there was a palpable feeling of ‘We did it!’ and we’re really looking forward to greeting passengers aboard the next 800 combi aircraft next summer,” he concludes.