Royal Aviation

Royal Aviation was the parent of Canadian charter airline Royal Airlines, which was based at Dorval Airport. The airline was acquired in 2001 by Canada 3000, which in turn went bankrupt in the months following the events of September 11, 2001.

History

Royal Airlines Boeing 727-200

The airline was founded by Michel Leblanc in 1991.

According to the June 1, 1999 North American edition of the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Royal was operating Airbus A310, Boeing 737-200 and Boeing 757-200 aircraft in scheduled passenger service to a number of destinations in Canada and the U.S. including Charlottetown, PEI, Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale, Halifax, Honolulu, Montreal (Dorval Airport), Orlando, St. Petersburg, FL, Toronto and Vancouver.^[1] The airline also operated transatlantic scheduled passenger flights between Canada and Europe during its existence including service to Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich in Germany as well as destinations in the U.K..^[2]

Royal was acquired by Canada 3000 in 2001 in an all-stock deal. While the takeover/merger was touted in glowing terms in press releases, analysts quietly shared the opinion that, based on the terms of the transaction, Royal had few options and little time left. Michel Leblanc received Canada 3000 shares worth $84 million and became a Canada 3000 vice-chairman.^[3]

Almost all of Royal Aviation's Royal Airlines aircraft were re-painted into the Canada 3000 livery, although some maintained a mixed livery, with the Canada 3000 logo and Royal Aviation tail design to recognize the merger between the two airlines. Canada 3000 also purchased Royal Cargo, renaming it Canada 3000 cargo. Canada 3000 cargo was later sold off and became Cargojet Airways.

Only a few months after the merger closed, Leblanc was fired from Canada 3000 on June 2001 in a bitter feud, as Canada 3000 filed a lawsuit against him for allegations of fraud and misrepresentation. However, the allegations were never proven in court and Leblanc subsequently sold off all his shares of Canada 3000 before they stopped trading.^[3]

In November 2001 the entire Canada 3000 company suddenly ceased operations with no warning for travellers or employees. The company filed for bankruptcy, citing a downturn in air travel during the weeks following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. All Canada 3000 workers as well as the former Royal Aviation workers lost their jobs.

Leblanc went on to create discount airline Jetsgo in 2002 which went bankrupt in 2005, in a similar unexpected manner to Canada 3000's demise.

Fleet

Royal Airlines Boeing 757 in pre-merger colours

Royal Airlines formerly operated the following aircraft:

References

↑ http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Toronto & Vancouver flight schedules
↑ http://timetableimages.com, Royal Aviation system timetables
1 2 "Jetsgo's Michel Leblanc". CBC News. 2006-09-05.

External links

Media related to Royal Aviation at Wikimedia Commons

Defunct airlines of Canada

30000 Island Air Aeropro Air 500 Air Alliance Air Atlantic Air Baffin Air BC Air Canada Tango Air Charter Systems Air Club International Air Fecteau Air Gaspé Air Mikisew Air Nova Air Ontario Air Satellite Air Schefferville Air Southwest Airspeed Aviation Airtransit Alberta Citylink AllCanada Express Alta Flights Arctic Sunwest Charters Austin Airways Baxter Aviation BCWest Air Canada 3000 Canada West Airlines Canadian Airlines Canadian Airways Canadian Colonial Airways Canadian Pacific Air Lines Canadian Regional Airlines CanJet Cherry Red Airline City Express Colonial Airlines Corporate Express Eastern Provincial Airways Eldorado Radium Silver Express Fecteau Transport Aerien First Nations Transportation Fortunair Globemaster Air Cargo Great Lakes Airlines Greyhound Air Harmony Airways Holidair ICC Air Cargo Canada Intair Inter-Canadien Jetsgo Knighthawk Air Express Lamb Air Latham Island Airways M&C Aviation MacKenzie Air Services Maestro Maritime Central Airways Millardair NAC Air Nationair Newfoundland Airways Nolisair Norcanair Nordair NorOntair North Canada Air NWT Air Odyssey International Ontario Central Airlines Ontario Express Pacific Western Airlines Pat Bay Air Peace Air Pem-Air Powell Air Prince Edward Air Quebecair Express Quebecair Queen Charlotte Airlines QuikAir Roots Air Royal Aviation Saskatchewan Government Airways Skycraft Air Transport Skyservice Skyxpress Sonicblue Airways Southern Frontier Airlines Starratt Airways Swanberg Air Time Air Trans-Canada Air Lines Trans-Provincial Airlines Transair Trinity Helicopters Triton Airlines Vacationair Val Air Vision Airways Corporation Vistajet Wardair Western Express Airlines Winnport World-Wide Airways Worldways Canada Zip Zoom Airlines

See also: List of airlines of Canada

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