Gemini Air Cargo

[bound_for_dubai]

Gemini Air Cargo started flying to Frankfurt from Miami via Toronto on the MD11 3-4 times a week for Air Canada. Rumors has it ACE was suppose to get a DC10 to potentially fly that route but were to slow in organizing. Any truth? Is ACE still getting the DC10?

[hibypassratio]

Last I heard over there was that they had crews training for the 10.

[Rosbif]

The question that we should all be asking is --

Why does the Canadian government allow traffic rights to Ghanean, American and other carriers who are clearly taking our jobs?.

Presumably, Gemini is calling Toronto a "tech stop" while it picks up more than half of its load in Canada. Last time I looked at a map, Toronto was not in a good place for a tech stop for a flight to Europe from MIA.
MK was pretending that Halifax is a tech stop as well. Anyone see a pattern here?

Excel airlines (UK company now owned by Air Atlanta Icelandic) is also applying to carry Canadian pax for Sunwing this Winter. MORE Canadian jobs going abroad.

Maybe if TC didn't drag its feet when Canadian companies try to get an operation off the ground, we could get some of these jobs back.

Air Canada. This is not a very patriotic or helpful way to run a Canadian Company. Could you please try to find a Canadian company to do your work. Maybe if your customers were to switch to US companies you would get the message. Buy Canadian.

WAKE UP PEOPLE.
Call your MP.

[bound_for_dubai]

Rosbif, I completely agree with you 100%. Air Canada will be doing the maintenance and in fact the managers from Gemini were around asking for places to purchase oil and hydraulic fluid for their aircraft. At the same time though, it really helps out the small canadian aviation businesses. I believe Aviall will be supplying them with everything they need, but you're right, We're practically selling the canadian aviation industry on eBay. I guess thats probably why alot of pilots are leaving the country.

Air canada should carry their own cargo if they are so eager to save money or hire a Canadian company to do it. I wouldn't mind seeing them convert some of their 767's into freighters.

BFD

[WJman]

From what I was told Air Canada has hired a Canadian compnay to do the run and eventually it will be ACE. Gemini is a short term contract, I think they applied for the rights to fly until Feb 2005 only. ACE should start up with the DC-10's after this. I know they were looking at hangar space for maintenace on the 10, it was the same hangar as Westjet the 2nd or 3rd bay. The last ACE maintenance guy I saw said the 10's are still on and training is going on now as is aircraft aquisition. I hope he's right.

[74tweaker]

Rosbif,
The only reason gemini was allowed in here is because Air Canada made an application. The only reason the application was authorized is because there is currently no Canadian company that can do international long-haul cargo. Air Canada lost that capacity when the 747 combi's were retired.

Air Canada will run there own cargo - but they need the time to convert and certify their new freighters (I've heard that 767's will indeed be converted)

What Transport should do is make it easier to certify a large cargo aircraft in this country. Service air and ACE are the only ones chasing this market right now.............and what taking them so long is aircraft availability and certification.

[Rosbif]

Instead of allowing, for example, Americans to haul Canadian freight, they should allow Canadian companies to do it in US registered aircraft for a transition period. It would be the same "quality" aircraft doing the work, but it would give the Canadian companies the opportunity to get launched.

As it stands, Canadian companies are always compared to their less regulated (so lower cost) cousins and so find it very hard to get their foot in the door.

I would have thought that the government would understood this, but obviously, Canadian aviation is still not "open for business".

Look at how successful the Icelandic have been in aviation. They now live under JAR, which in theory at least, is more restrictive than our regs.
Is there any reason why Canada should not be just as successful, given our aviation history, the size and location of our country, and the underemployed professionals living here?

The assertion that there are no Canadian companies who can do the work is not really true. If we were allowed to operate leased aircraft under part 129 (for maintenance etc.) of the FAA regs for a prescribed period, you can be quite sure that ACE, Cargojet, Morningstar, the new freight divisions of pax airlines, and startups would all be bidding on contracts in the marketplace.
As it stands, it is a waste of time trying to fight with our hands tied behind our backs.