Buffalo Airways suspension prompts mixed reaction in N.W.T.

While Buffalo Airways kept relatively quiet upon the news of its suspension by Transport Canada this week, Northerners had mixed reactions to the news — some supportive of the airline, others relieved by the shutdown. 

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The company's flagship aircraft are the Second World War-era DC-3s and DC-4s it uses for passenger and cargo flights.

"I don't know of any airlines that have never had any incidents," said Danny Gaudet, a leader in Deline, N.W.T. "Overall, that's just the nature of flying."

Passengers going in and out of Deline generally use North Wright Airways, but in the wintertime, Buffalo Airways brings in about 80 to 90 per cent of the community's freight — everything from spare parts to groceries.

"Nobody seems too concerned right now because I think Joe [McBryan, also known as Buffalo Joe] and his family have been in this situation before and they've always managed to continue to service the Sahtu," Gaudet said.

Doug Rentmeister, executive director of the N.W.T.'s Sport North, is another frequent customer. He's relied on the Hay River-based airline to fly young athletes to events around the territory.

"I've always found Buffalo Air and their staff to be very accommodating," Rentmeister said, adding that the company has been an annual sponsor of the organization's Champions for Children dinner.

"Hopefully they can get through this little bump and get back to what they do best, and that's being an affordable, strong, community-minded airline."

'There were people screaming'

Geologist Bill Mercer walked away from a Buffalo Airways crash in Yellowknife in August 2013.

Soon after takeoff, the Buffalo Airways DC-3 engine caught fire and the pilots turned the aircraft around.

"The plane was very, very slowly losing height," Mercer says. "About two-thirds of the way through this I was starting to look at the ground underneath and think, 'There's nowhere to go down here. It's lakes or it's rocks.'"

"I thought, if we go down in this, it's going to be a mess."

The plane got even lower as it approached the airport.

"There were people screaming because we were crashing through the trees, the wings were knocking the trees down, then we basically came out of the trees and were skidding along the ground."

Mercer says the pilots did what they could, but adds, "it's clear that Buffalo were not operating in a safe way" when it came out that luggage and passengers were not weighed before the flight.

"We said no more flying with Buffalo for anybody," Mercer says.

He says it's disappointing that it took Transport Canada so long to suspend the company.