If you can’t place Goderich, Ontario on a map, you’re not alone. Located on less than ten square km of land on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, with a population of only about 8,000, it seems an unlikely place to base a new international airline.
But that’s exactly what Waseem Javed is doing. He actually plans to run four aviation businesses out of Goderich Municipal Airport.
On 12SEP, at the regional airport, Javed revealed his ambitious plans for “Canada 1, an air taxi service, an air maintenance operation, the Canadian Pilot Academy Flight School and Royal Canadian Airlines, which will fly to the Middle East and Asia from Toronto and Hamilton, but will be headquartered at Goderich’s airport,” reports CTVNews.
“This is going to be a huge operation. Our goal is to base most of our airplanes out of here eventually. We are planning on building student accommodations here. As many as 50 to 100 jobs are possible,” Javed, president of Royal Canadian Airlines, announced.
The company has apparently signed a 40-year lease beginning in NOV, with “the entire airport terminal building for our use,” he added. It has also purchased the largest hangar and has “twelve acres of land on airport grounds which is dedicated for our future growth.”
Open Jaw spoke with Jacob Van Beets, who handles operations at Goderich Airport. “Plans are to upgrade the airport where the flying school is located and where Royal Canadian Airlines will be headquartered," he told Open Jaw.
Javed revealed that his decision to base his operations out of Goderich can be attributed to the town’s former mayor, who was killed this summer in a boating accident. Javed says one of the company’s first planes will be named in Mayor John Grace’s honour.
According to the company’s web site, Royal Canadian Airlines will provide "non-stop direct service onboard Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait & Iraq on a charter, non-scheduled and scheduled basis."
While the airline will be headquartered at Goderich, according to the company, flight service will be provided from Toronto Pearson and Hamilton International airports in southern Ontario.
Dina Carlucci, director of business development at YHM, told Open Jaw that airport was just learning about the new airline.
"Hamilton International Airport welcomes the opportunity to review airline proposals to grow passenger service for Hamilton and the surrounding region," she said in an email to Open Jaw. "Once AOC approvals are granted, Royal Canadian Airlines is exploring the prospect of basing B777-300ER service to the Middle East and Asia in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area at the end of 2023."
*Since its first publication, Open Jaw has updated this story with Waseem Javed's title as president of Royal Canadian Airlines, as well as comments from YHM.
