Indigenous-owned carrier Rise Air (4T, Saskatoon) has signed a 15-year agreement, worth approximately CAD500 million Canadian dollars (USD364 million), with Cameco Corporation and Orano Canada Inc., to provide workforce transportation services for northern Saskatchewan operations.
Derek Nice, chief executive of Rise Air, said that securing the agreement is “transformative” for the carrier as “it means we can plan for the future with confidence - investing in modern equipment, upgrading our facilities, and expanding hiring and training.”
In an interview with ch-aviation earlier in the year, Nice said the company was banking on growth opportunities in the mining sector in Saskatchewan. Chartering flights for companies into production sites is one of the carrier’s main focus areas, he explained. Cameco and Orano are providers and producers of uranium.
According to ch-aviation data, Rise Air operates a varied fleet comprising three ATR42-300s, one ATR42-320, one ATR42-500, one ATR42-500(QC), four Beech 1900Ds, one DHC-6-100, four DHC-6-200s, two DHC-6-300s, one Saab 340A(QC), and two Saab 340Bs. It additionally operates eight Beech B200s and one Pilatus PC-12.
Furthermore, the company is set to take delivery of three brand new 68-seat ATR72-600s in late 2025 and early 2026, as it moves forward with a fleet renewal process that will include the retirements of the ATR42-300s and Saab 340Bs next year.
