One-stop-shop for flights, fuel, and logistics
By John Curran
When it comes to making things happen in far-flung places, no one flies higher than the Avier Group.
With deep roots in the North, especially in the mining sector, the Avier Group includes several firms and partnerships – each with their own area of focus: Private Sky Aviation, Fuel Flo Petroleum & Logistics, and Kingaunmiut Services, as well as real estate division.
“We’re operating all over the world, although Canada’s North will always be home,” says Travis Arychuk, Avier Group president and CEO, who now runs the group of companies from the Kelowna head office. “We are an integrated team born in the North and our expertise is servicing remote locations, not only in the North, but globally.”
The company formed in 2006, at the time with a purely aviation focus, but it’s been growing since then with Arychuk’s brother Ryan joining in 2008 with the launch of Fuel Flo. He serves as its president and oversees all operations in the North from the company’s Yellowknife office. Since then, they’ve also formalized a partnership in Nunavut’s Kitikmeot region that helps create wealth for local Inuit. This venture gives back to the communities they serve, a very important part of the Avier Group’s business plan.
“Our group has helped with over $1 million of charitable donations across Canada for various charities and philanthropic endeavours,” said Arychuk, who also sits as an ambassador with the Make A Wish Foundation of Canada.
All it takes is one call and they can arrange and manage all of your flights, fixed wing and helicopters, drummed and bulk fuel, and all of your logistics needs.
“On any given day we’re arranging clients’ private jet charters globally, rotating 100 workers to an exploration camp in the Arctic and arranging for fuel shipments all over Canada’s North,” says Arychuk. “We’re doing everything from workforce flights via large jets to moving tech crews from Canada to the USA weekly via private jet, to managing multi-million-dollar aviation programs for mining and oil & gas, and everything in between.”
Private Sky Aviation is an aircraft charter agency and doesn’t operate any aircraft of its own. Instead, they find their clients the ideal equipment to suit their current daily requirements rather than forcing them to pick a platform based on the operators availability. This way, their clients can maximize efficiency and avoid chartering the wrong aircraft at the wrong price. Private Sky Aviation likes to manage every portion of the charter, and in many cases, find ways to drive down the costs with solutions like offering one-way splits for clients and just better overall management of the charters to maximize efficiency.
Arychuk says companies are often surprised at how much easier it can be working in the North when you have experienced suppliers you can count on.
“We’re working with one junior company in Nunavut, for example, that called up for a single flight in a bind. We were Plan D and someone advised them to call us. A few months on and now we manage all of their aviation needs and supply all of their fuel. From flights for passengers/cargo, bulk and drummed fuel, and all the logistics in between, we have proven that as a group we save our clients money every time.… we’ve got a great integrated accounting system so everything gets billed on one easy-to-read invoice.”
While a lifetime spent in aviation engrained a love of flight early in Arychuk, it’s Avier’s Kingaunmiut Services partnership that really gets him excited.
“My family has known and worked with the Kapolak family of Bathurst Inlet for more than 50 years starting with my grandparents, the Warners, through Bathurst Inlet Lodge. Our partnership is built on friendship and trust – it’s a long-term, deep commitment, and we are fortunate to have some great clients who understand these unique partnerships and value the traditions they serve.”
One of these stand-out companies Arychuk and Sam Kapolak, president of Kingaunmiut, speaks highly of is Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. Sabina is not only a great client, but they truly took the time to consult with all the Inuit people and continue to on a regular basis. With COVID now in the picture, there is no company that takes the steps that they do to get their workforce safely to and from site, with no risk to the communities. Kingaunmiut – a Kitikmeot Qualified Business, as well as being NTI certified – arranges all flights between Edmonton and site in partnership with others. They also look after buses for workers when ground transport is required, and even oversee the COVID testing and hotels, prior to flying into camp. Kingaunmiut also looks after the drummed and bulk fuel for Sabina on an ongoing basis.
The Avier Group is never standing still and recently started arranging barged and tanker Arctic fuel shipments aligned with leaders in the fields.
“We continue to see growth in all aspects of our business. As exploration and mining companies continue to look at ways to save money, our group is perfectly suited to this model,” says Arychuk. “Our mission is to offer a consolidated approach to aviation charter, fuel supply and logistics, and with one call our team can oversee and manage these all. We will save you time and money, it’s proven and can be backed.”
Those specialized capabilities have been in great demand lately for reasons other than mining.
“With the flooding in B.C. and all of the highways out, we’ve been extra busy arranging flights for critical goods and pharmacare items,” he says. “In times like this, it feels good to be part of helping people get through a crisis.”
