Kenn Borek Air

The airline was established in 1966 as Vic Turner Ltd{{cite web | url = https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/vic-turner-ltd/ | title = Vic Turner Ltd | publisher = Airline History | access-date = 25 September 2020}} which operated a single de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter providing air support for oil exploration activities in the Canadian Arctic. Renamed Kenn Borek Air after being purchased by Borek Construction in 1971, the company acquired the Aklavik Flying Services which was founded in April 1947 by Michael Zubko operating a single Aeronca Champion at that time.{{cite web | url = https://www.cahf.ca/CUSTOMPAGES/907/MemberList.cfm?firstLetter=Z | title = Member Profiles | publisher = Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame | access-date = 25 September 2020}} In 1975 Kenn Borek acquired Kenting Atlas Aviation. Kenting Atlas Aviation had been formed in 1972 with the purchase of Weldy Phipps's Atlas Aviation (established in 1962) by Kenting Aviation.{{cite web | url = https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/kenting-atlas-aviation/ | title = Kenting Atlas Aviation | publisher = Airline History | access-date = 25 September 2020}} This was the second iteration of the Atlas Aviation name, the first evolving out of the renaming of McGuire Flying School at Uplands Airport, Ottawa, Ontario formed in 1946 by Hugh McGuire.

The company has been operating in Antarctica since 1985.{{cite news |url= http://www.globalnews.ca/plane+carrying+3+canadians+missing+in+antarctica/6442794393/story.html |title= Bad weather hampers search for 3 Canadians on plane missing in Antarctica |author= Canadian Press |publisher= Global News |date= 23 January 2013 |access-date= 23 January 2013 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130219185355/http://www.globalnews.ca/plane+carrying+3+canadians+missing+in+antarctica/6442794393/story.html |archive-date= 19 February 2013}}

On 26 April 2001, Kenn Borek Air used a DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft to rescue Dr. Ronald Shemenski from the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.{{cite news |url= http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/kenn-borek-plane-carrying-three-canadians-missing-in-antarctica-1.1126655 |title= Kenn Borek plane carrying three Canadians missing in Antarctica |author= CTV News |publisher= CTV |date= 23 January 2013 |access-date= 23 January 2013}}{{cite web |url= http://www.stargate4173.com/Polar/PolarJournals/southPoleRescue.html |title= The Rescue of Dr. Ron Shemenski from the South Pole |author= Bob Antol |publisher= Bob Antol's Polar Journals |date= April 2001 |access-date= 23 January 2013}}{{cite news |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=185352 |title= Doctor rescued from Antarctica safely in Chile |date= 27 April 2001 |access-date=23 January 2013|work= The New Zealand Herald}} This was the first ever rescue from the South Pole during the southern winter.{{cite news |url= http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0104/26/bn.02.html |title= Plane With Dr. Shemenski Arrives in Chile |date= 26 April 2001 |access-date= 23 January 2013 |author= TRANSCRIPT |publisher= CNN}} To achieve the range necessary for this flight, the Twin Otter was equipped with a special ferry tank.

In 2009, the company was commissioned to recover a crashed aircraft in the Antarctic, and employees spent 25 days in a makeshift camp to complete the project.

The airline was used by the BBC during the filming of the documentary Frozen Planet (2011), which was narrated by David Attenborough, and one of its planes is seen in portions of the footage.

In June 2016 the company assisted in removing two sick workers from Antarctica during the polar winter. Two Twin Otter aircraft were used and successfully completed the mission.{{cite news |url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/kenn-borek-air-south-pole-june-22-1.3646966 |title= Kenn Borek rescue mission evacuates pair to Chile from South Pole |work= CBC News |date= 22 June 2016}} The crew, captain Wally Dobchuk, first officer Sebastian Trudel and maintenance engineer Michael McCrae were honoured for their heroism by Aviation Week.{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/aviation-week-laureate-awards/kenn-borek-air-crew-wins-2017-laureate-heroism |title= Kenn Borek Air Crew Wins 2017 Laureate for Heroism |date= 3 March 2017 |author= Jen DiMascio |work= Aviation Week & Space Technology}}

In 2020 one of the airline's converted DC-3s was used by NASA to drop probes along Greenland's Atlantic coast, as part of the NASA's annual Oceans Melting Greenland project. The project is intended to monitor the rate at which Greenland's ice cap melts into the sea.[https://blogs.nasa.gov/earthexpeditions/2020/10/05/pandemic-delays-but-doesnt-slow-ice-melt-research-in-greenland/ Pandemic Delays, But Doesn’t Slow, Ice Melt Research in Greenland: NASA Earth Expeditions]

Kenn Borek Air offers a full service overhaul maintenance hangar in Calgary with routine maintenance being completed wherever the aircraft is located.

In the months from September to March it operates significantly in Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile flights to Antarctica depart from that place

File:Kenn Borek Air - King Air 200 C-FEKB (Quintin Soloviev).jpg

As of March 2025, Kenn Borek operates scheduled services to several communities in the Northwest Territories as Aklak Air:{{cite web|url=http://aklakair.ca/flight_schedule.pdf |title=Aklak Air Schedule|date=31 May 2021|access-date=22 March 2025}}

• Fort McPherson (Fort McPherson Airport only when the ice road is closed or the ferry is not in operation)
• Inuvik (Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport)
• Paulatuk (Paulatuk (Nora Aliqatchialuk Ruben) Airport)
• Sachs Harbour (Sachs Harbour (David Nasogaluak Jr. Saaryuaq) Airport)
• Ulukhaktok (Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport)

File:Basler bt67 antarctica.jpg at Williams Field, Antarctica]]

File:GVKB Kenn Borek DC3 loading 02.JPG

As of March 2025, Kenn Borek Air has the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada.{{TCregister|KENN+BOREK|Kenn Borek Air|22 March 2025}}

In addition to multiple instances of the aircraft listed above Kenn Borek has also operated the following aircraft and variants:{{cite web|url=https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/CCARCS-RIACC/RchHsRes.aspx?st=2&m=%7C%7C&cn=%7C%7C&mn=%7C%7C&sn=%7C%7C&cnn=%7CKENN%20BOREK%7C&tn=%7C%7C&ln=%7C%7C&fn=%7C%7C&rfr2=RchHs.aspx&print=y |title=CCAR - History Search Result |access-date=22 March 2025}}

• Beechcraft King Air
• Beech 90
• Model B90
• Model C90
• Beech 100
• Model 100
• Model A100
• Beechcraft Baron
• 95-B55
• Beechcraft Model 99
• 99A
• B99A
• Beechcraft Super King Air
• Super King Air 200
• Model B200GT
• Bell 206
• Bell 206B
• Cessna 150
• 150G
• Cessna 152
• Cessna 185 Skywagon
• A185F Skywagon
• de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
• DHC-4A Caribou
• Douglas C-54 Skymaster
• C-54G
• Douglas R4D-8
• Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
• EMB 110P1
• Piper PA-31 Navajo
• PA-31T3

• On 28 February 1977, Douglas C-47A C-FIQR crashed near Salluit (then known as Sugluk), Quebec. The aircraft was not repairable and was used for parts.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19770228-5 |title=C-FIQR Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=4 August 2010}}
• On 21 December 1977, DHC-6 C-FABW crashed near Nanisivik Airport, Nunavut. Damaged beyond repair. Two crew and six passengers were killed. Probable cause was a flap rod failure.{{cite web |title=C-FABW Accident description |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19771221-0 |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=17 July 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Hudson |first1=April |title=Touching down |url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/nanisivik-plane-crash-1977-memorial |website=CBC News |access-date=17 July 2022}}
• On 18 September 1978, Douglas C-47A C-FCRW was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident at Komakuk Beach, Yukon.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780918-0 |title=C-FCRW Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=1 August 2010}}
• On 7 May 1982, Douglas C-47A C-FQHF overran the runway at Calgary International Airport following an aborted take-off.[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1982/1982%20-%201947.html Flight International, 31 July 1982, p267] Retrieved on 23 July 2010. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19820507-0 |title=C-FQHF Accident report |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=9 July 2010}}
• On 10 November 1987, DHC-4A Caribou aircraft C-GVYX, crashed near Ross River, Yukon, two crew were killed.{{cite web|url=http://www.avsaf.org/reports/CANADA/1987.11.10_KennBorekAirLtd_DeHavillandDHC-4A.pdf |title=Kenn Borek Air Ltd. De Havilland DHC4A Caribou C-GYVX Ross River, Yukon Territory 10 November 1987 Report Number 87-W70073|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050908014920/http://www.avsaf.org/reports/CANADA/1987.11.10_KennBorekAirLtd_DeHavillandDHC-4A.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2005|access-date=15 February 2023}}[https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dhc-4a-caribou-ross-river-2-killed baaa-acro.com]
• On 25 October 2010, Beechcraft King Air C-FAFD en route from Edmonton City Centre to Kirby Lake Aerodrome (CFR4, ({{coord|55|21|20|N|110|38|15|W|region:CA-AB_type:landmark|notes={{Cite cgndb|IAIYB|Kirby Lake}}|title=Kirby Lake}}), crashed {{convert|1.5|NM|lk=in}} southeast of Conklin. One of the ten occupants on board was killed, four were seriously injured.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/northern-alta-plane-crash-kills-1-1.896268 |title=Northern Alta. plane crash kills 1 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=25 October 2010 |access-date=14 March 2010}}
• On 4 November 2010, a hangar fire at Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport destroyed three aircraft owned by Kenn Borek Air and operated by Aklak Air. They were de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter C-GZVH, Beechcraft King Air C-GHOC and Beechcraft 99 C-FKBK.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20101104-2 |title=Hull-loss description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=12 November 2010}}
• On 23 January 2013, an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) activated in Antarctica,{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8216948/South-Pole-flight-missing |title=Aircraft Missing in Antarctica |publisher=Stuff.co.nz |access-date=23 January 2013}} in the Queen Alexandra Range.{{cite news |url= http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2013/01/23/006-antarctique-avion-disparu.shtml |title= Un avion transportant trois Canadiens est disparu en Antarctique |publisher= Station Radio-Canada |author= Radio-Canada |date= 23 January 2013 |access-date= 23 January 2013 |language=fr}} On board C-GKBC (c/n:650), the DHC-6 Twin Otter, that was equipped with skis, were three Canadians.{{cite web |publisher= Aviation Safety Network |url= http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20130123-0 |title= ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 C-GKBC Mount Elizabeth |date= 23 January 2013 |access-date= 17 May 2019}} The plane, operating under the auspices of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), had been en route from the United States Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station to the Italian Zucchelli Station, located at Terra Nova Bay.{{cite news |url= http://www.nst.com.my/latest/flight-carrying-3-canadians-missing-in-antarctica-1.206805 |title= Flight carrying 3 Canadians missing in Antarctica |agency= Associated Press |work= New Straits Times |date= 23 January 2013 |access-date= 23 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130124045017/http://www.nst.com.my/latest/flight-carrying-3-canadians-missing-in-antarctica-1.206805 |archive-date= 24 January 2013}} The aircraft was found on 25 January 2013. It had impacted Mount Elizabeth at the {{cvt|13,000|ft}} level. The New Zealand helicopter rescue team which spotted the wreckage reported that the accident was not survivable.{{cite news |url= http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/wreckage-of-missing-plane-found-crash-deemed-not-survivable-1.1130533 |title= Wreckage of missing plane found, crash deemed 'not survivable' |publisher= CTV News |author= CTV News |date= 26 January 2013 |access-date= 26 January 2013}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Kenn Borek Air}}

• [http://www.borekair.com Kenn Borek Air]

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{{Airlines of Canada}}

Category:Regional airlines of Alberta

Category:Regional airlines of the Northwest Territories

Category:Regional airlines of Nunavut

Category:Airlines established in 1966

Category:Seaplane operators