West Coast Air

IATA ICAO Callsign – – COAST AIR
Founded	1996
Ceased operations	2015
Hubs	Vancouver Harbour Aerodrome
Secondary hubs	Vancouver Int'l Aerodrome Victoria Inner Harbour Airport Nanaimo Harbour Aerodrome
Fleet size	3
Destinations	7
Parent company	Harbour Air Seaplanes
Headquarters	Vancouver, British Columbia
Website	Harbour Air

West Coast Air was a Canadian scheduled airline operating de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter float planes, which was integrated into Harbour Air Seaplanes.

History

Harbour Air Seaplanes of Vancouver acquired West Coast Air and consolidated the two airlines' terminal and services on March 31, 2010. All aircraft were transferred to Harbour Air Seaplanes, the West Coast Air name was dropped and the Harbour Air name painted on all aircraft.

When it operated the company offered flights from downtown Vancouver and the Richmond floatplane base at Vancouver International Airport to Victoria, Nanaimo, Comox, the Sunshine Coast, and Whistler. The company also flew tours and private charters.

Destinations

Destinations in February 2010, operated for Harbour Air Seaplanes:^[1]

• Comox
• Jervis Inlet (Earl's Cove, Chatterbox Falls)
• Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome (Nanaimo)
• Sechelt
• Vancouver Harbour Water Aerodrome (Vancouver)
• Vancouver International Water Aerodrome (Richmond)
• Victoria Inner Harbour Airport (Victoria)
• Whistler (May to September)

Fleet

In June 2015 the West Coast Air fleet was integrated into Harbour Air and painted in the Harbour Air aircraft livery.

Accidents

• On 1 November 2000 a company de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter had just departed the Vancouver Harbour Water Aerodrome en route to Victoria when its number 2 engine failed at 50 to 100 ft (15 to 30 m). Even though the aircraft was being flown above V_MC it impacted the water about 25 seconds later in a nose-down, right wing-low attitude. The two crew members and 15 passengers all escaped unharmed and were rescued by local watercraft present in the harbour. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada concluded that "Since most air taxi and commuter operators use their own aircraft rather than a simulator for pilot proficiency training, higher-risk emergency scenarios can only be practiced at altitude and discussed in the classroom. As a result, pilots do not gain the benefit of a realistic experience during training." As a result of this accident the company revised its training programs with "increased emphasis on aircraft handling and emergency procedures in response to loss of power at low altitude and low airspeed."^[2][3]