Buffalo Airways owner agrees to step down as airline remains grounded

Joe McBryan, owner and chairman of Buffalo Airways and star of Ice Pilots NWT, has signed a letter agreeing to step away from the airline’s day-to-day operations, according to a consultant working to help the beleaguered airline suspend flight operations. operator certificate reinstated.

On November 30, Transport Canada grounded operations of the popular northern airline, citing a “poor safety record.” The airline continued to use charter flights to serve its customers, but announced Thursday it was postponing passenger flights on its main passenger route, between Yellowknife and Hay River, in the Northwest Territories.

To review and revamp its safety standards, the company hired DTI Training, a consulting firm that worked with NASA and helped write Transport Canada’s quality control procedures more than a decade ago.

Sol Taboada, the company’s owner, told CBC that the departure of McBryan, affectionately known as “Buffalo Joe” throughout the North, was “an extreme measure” in response to pressure from Transport Canada.

But that may not be enough.

McBryan’s letter was included in Buffalo’s most recent submission to Transport Canada, but Taboada said the company received a message Wednesday saying it was still not satisfied.

“Joe never says no”

McBryan is not part of Buffalo’s management team, but is heavily involved in the airline’s day-to-day operations.

“You have a man who owns the business, a man with a powerful personality,” Tabaoda said. “He’s got 50 years of experience. Even though he’s not technically one of the directors of the company, if he walks through a hangar and says to someone, ‘I think you should do this,’ he’ll do it just about.”

McBryan is also known as a guy who gets things done, a reputation that Taboada said could harm him.

“One of the problems with Buffalo Airways is that when a northern community calls with an emergency and needs an extra item on a plane for whatever reason, Joe never says no,” he said. he declares. “They are loaded with it, and therefore they would be overweight.

According to Taboada, the pressure for McBryan to resign was both subtle and not so subtle.

The situation came to a head during a Dec. 11 meeting with Transport Canada.

Buffalo presented a set of corrective measures, including a third-party “gatekeeper” to oversee the company’s flight operations, that Taboada said would address the issues that led to Buffalo’s suspension.

“The question was asked to me: ‘If we lift the suspension today, what will the operation look like tomorrow?'” he said. “More specifically, what will Operation DC-3 look like?”

Taboada responded that operations of the DC-3, an aircraft in Buffalo’s fleet often flown by McBryan, would be the same as the rest of Buffalo’s aircraft. After the meeting, he received a call from an acquaintance working for Transport Canada.

“He says, ‘Is Joe going to fly the DC-3?’ I said, “He’s a pilot! Sure, why not? He asks, ‘How are you going to control Joe in day-to-day operations?'” Taboada said.

“And I said, ‘How am I going to control it? Can I get a rope, I can tie it and take a picture? Is that what you want?'”

“113 employees struggle in the wind”

Three weeks into the suspension, Taboada says he fears costs could spiral out of control, leaving the company in poor conditions to resume operations.

McBryan has refused to lay off any of his employees, meaning the airline pays salaries and other costs but receives no revenue.

Taboada says he feels Transport Canada is not treating Buffalo fairly.

“You have 113 employees struggling not knowing if they’ll have a job. It’s just not right,” he said.

“Either let them operate to see if we’ve fixed these issues, or cut the head off right away. Do it and be done with it.”

In an email, Transport Canada spokesperson Amber Wonko said “Transport Canada continues to work with Buffalo Airways to address the safety issues identified.”

Kristine Cook, Buffalo’s communications manager, said the airline had no comment at this time. McBryan has refused to comment to the media since the suspension began.