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Air Creebec Welcomes Their First ATR 72-500 Freighter

Air Creebec, an airline rooted in serving Cree and northern communities since 1982, has welcomed their first ATR 72-500 Freighter, adapted for the unique challenges of Canada’s Far North.  The aircraft was acquired through ACIA Aero Leasing. 


Air Creebec Cargo ATR 72-500F Freighter - Courtesy ATR
Air Creebec Cargo ATR 72-500F Freighter - Courtesy ATR

On Tuesday (September 9, 2025), ATR announced that Air Creebec has acquired their first ATR 72-500 Freighter through ACIA Aero Leasing.  In under six months, the aircraft was transformed from a standard bulk freighter into a Large Cargo Door (LCD) variant.  The door spans 2.94 m (9 ft 6 in) wide by 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) high, enabling quick loading of everything from LD3 containers to oversized freight.  The aircraft offers a cargo capacity of up to 8.6 tonnes and 76 m³ of volume, the equivalent of several truckloads delivered in one trip. This will allow Air Creebec to transport food, medicine, equipment, and vital fuel supplies for northern destinations and industrial clients.  


The ATR 72-500F provides Air Creebec with a strategic tool to enhance flexibility, efficiency, and speed in cargo operations, ensuring that critical goods reach even the most remote clients when they are needed most.  With the new aircraft taking flight, Air Creebec writes a new chapter in Canadian aviation, one where no community is too remote to be reached, and every journey carries the essentials of life.  Currently, the aircraft is operating several times a week to Timmins, Moosonee, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat, Peawanuck, and Cochrane, while also serving destinations such as Whapmagoostui, Chisasibi, and more.


Air Creebec Cargo ATR 72-500F Freighter - Courtesy ATR/Air Creebec

Established in June 1982, Air Creebec is a regional airline based in Waskaganish, Ontario.  At that time, the Cree owned 51 percent of the airline, and Austin Airways owned the remaining 49 percent.  In 1988, the Cree purchased the rest of the airline in the largest commercial deal ever undertaken by any aboriginal group in Canada. 


Air Creebec operates regularly scheduled flights, charter flights, and freight services to 16 destinations in Quebec and Ontario.  Air Creebec’s main bases are located at the Val-d’Or, Montreal and Timmins airports, and the airline also has hubs in Waskaganish, Chisasibi, and Moosonee.  The carrier operates 19 aircraft, including De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300s and Dash 8-100s, as well as HS748 and ATR 72-500F freighter aircraft.  Air Creebec currently employs over 400 team members, about one-third of whom are First Nations.


 

Source(s): ATR, Air Creebec

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