| Airline: | SkyLink Express |
| Fleet Size: | 12 |
| Destinations: | North America |
| Icao: | SLQ |
| Callsign: | SKYLINK |
| Headquarters: | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Key People: | Dan Rocheleau (CEO)Richard McDole (President) |
| Hubs: | |
| Website: | SkyLink Express |
SkyLink Express is a cargo airline headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.[1] It operates dedicated air cargo / courier feeder flights throughout Canada and the United States and provides on demand air cargo charters from its bases in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Montréal-Mirabel.
The airline was established in February 1994 as QuikAire Cargo Inc.[2] by Dan Rocheleau, founder and president of the airline, started the airline using the Cessna 208 Caravan to meet a specialized demand in the Canadian short-haul air cargo market and several 208B Grand Caravans are in use by the airline today.
In April 1996, QuikAire Cargo Inc. formed a partnership with SkyLink Group of Companies and rebranded itself as SkyLink Express Inc. The new relationship fostered the next stage of growth for the airline as it acquired courier feeder contracts across Canada. In 1996, SkyLink Express also became the first carrier in Canada to operate Raytheon factory-converted, all-cargo, Beechcraft 1900 aircraft. Today, the airline operates the largest Beechcraft 1900C fleet in Canada and second largest in North America.[3]
In July 2009, SkyLink Express entered into a partnership with Cargojet to combine SkyLink Express operational assets and routes with a Cargojet subsidiary, Prince Edward Air, to consolidate regional air cargo operations into Cargojet Regional Partnership.[4] [5] [6]
In July 2010, SkyLink Express purchased 100% of Cargojet Regional Partnership from Cargojet.[7]
In 2013, SkyLink Express expanded into Western Canada as new flight crew / maintenance bases were launched in Vancouver (August 2013) [8] and Winnipeg (September 2013).[9]
Past and present courier/cargo feeder operations include United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx, DHL Express, Altimax, Canada Post, Cargojet, Dynamex, Midland Courier, Purolator Inc. and Sameday Worldwide.
In March 2024, Skylink Express filed under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act and is restructuring their businesses and financial affairs.[10]
SkyLink Express maintains facilities in the following Canadian cities (as of November 2024):[11]
The SkyLink Express fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2024):[12]
| Aircraft | In service | Variants | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Payload, the 1900D is not listed by SkyLink Express | |||
| Payload, listed as Cessna Grand Caravan / Super Cargomaster 208B Freighter by SkyLink Express but not registered with Transport Canada | ||||
| Total | 12 | |||