The Canadian charter airline has placed the orders to expand services in remote regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut while reducing emissions in ecologically sensitive areas.
Electrification is driving mining activity demand in northern Canada so Nolinor is expecting more flights to transport workers, equipment and supplies to regions which have limited road infrastructure and challenging weather conditions.
Nolinor is the largest operator of Boeing 737-200s which are equipped to land on dirt, gravel or ice runways.
Marco Prud’Homme, President of Nolinor Aviation, says, “During our visit to Natilus's head office in San Diego last fall, we were impressed by their groundbreaking approach to aircraft design and their dedication to addressing the unique challenges of the cargo industry. The KONA's gravel runway capability is a perfect match for our operations, and we are eager to leverage its potential to better serve our customers across Canada and beyond.”
Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus, adds, “As Nolinor continues to evolve its specialised airfreight service for passenger and cargo transit, Natilus is committed to supporting their efforts to improve logistics efficiency and reduce the carbon emissions of their fleet operations.”
Like the B737-200, the Kona can take off and land in challenging environments, including unpaved, shorter gravel runways.
The Kona is expected to enter production by the end of the decade, followed by the Horizon passenger aircraft in the early 2030s.