Jet fuel supply tight in Churchill despite resupply
Calm Air won't be able to use new fuel until testing is completed
Calm Air's jet fuel tanks in Churchill are running low, but the company's president says that once testing is completed a fresh supply will keep the company landing in the isolated Hudson Bay town through to the fall.
The rail line to Churchill, the town's only land connection, was flooded more than 400 days ago. Hudson Bay Rail owner Omnitrax says it can't afford to pay for repairs, estimated at as much as $60 million, and is appealing an order by the Canadian Transportation Agency to restore the damaged tracks.
- Transportation agency puts legal weight behind order to Omnitrax for Churchill rail line repair
- Owner of rail line to Churchill appeals order to fix flood-damaged tracks
Earlier this week 1.8 million litres of aviation fuel arrived at Churchill's seaport. However, the fuel must go through a series of tests before it is certified for use, Calm Air president Gary Bell says. Until the testing is completed, the town is relying on a dwindling store of jet fuel from November.
"That 1.8 million litres should get us to when the November ship should arrive – so first week of November or late October," Bell said.
The airline executive admits the loss of rail service and efforts to keep the town supplied have stretched logistics and challenged the company.
Calm Air and its sister company, Exchange Petroleum, made room in their storage tanks last year for much-needed gasoline for Churchill.
"Certainly it has required some extra logistics from our standpoint, but we'll be happy once this fuel is ready to go and be back up where we need to be," Bell told CBC News.
Bell says it's hard to determine what the extra shipping and juggling have meant to the company's bottom line, and prefers to not disclose what the cost has been for Calm Air.
A resumption of rail service to Churchill would make life a lot easier for the airline, Bell says.
"We're very hopeful that a rail deal gets done," he said. "We know there are many parties working on it … it's a good thing for the community and it's a good thing for us to get back to a normal shipping situation where we get a resupply every two to three weeks," Bell said.
Bell says his company must know in advance whether the rail line will be operational by October or face ordering another, more costly resupply of jet fuel by sea.