VIKING

Viking Air Ltd. is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that produces new versions of the DHC-6 Twin Otter, upgraded versions of the DHC-2 Beaver, spare parts for older de Havilland Canada aircraft, and components for Bell Helicopter Textron. The company is also planning to produce its new DHC-515 (formerly CL-515) water bomber firefighting aircraft in Calgary, Alberta. In addition to manufacturing aircraft and aircraft parts, Viking Air is an operator of aircraft based at Victoria International Airport in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The company was founded in 1970 by Norwegian-born Canadian aviation pioneer Nils Christensen and specializes in flying boats. Viking Air acquired the exclusive rights from de Havilland Canada to manufacture spare parts and to distribute the DHC-2 Beaver and the DHC-3 Otter aircraft in 1983. In May 2005, the company purchased the parts and service business for all the older de Havilland Canada aircraft from Bombardier Aerospace. Viking Air also acquired the type certificates from Bombardier for all the discontinued de Havilland Canada designs, including the DHC-1 Chipmunk, DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, DHC-4 Caribou, DHC-5 Buffalo, DHC-6 Twin Otter and DHC-7 Dash 7. The company restarted production of the Twin Otter in 2007 with more powerful engines, and in February 2010, the first new production Twin Otter Series 400 equipped with Honeywell’s Primus Apex I was delivered. Viking Air is managed by Longview Aviation Capital, which is owned by Sherry Brydson, granddaughter of deceased newspaper magnate Roy Thomson and cousin of David Thomson, parties of the largest family fortune in Canada. David Curtis has been the president and CEO since 1991 and has announced his intention to retire as of August 2021.