Business View Magazine Feb 2023

213 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 KAPUSKAS ING A I RPORT his way up from ground crew to administration and stayed on as the director. In the Canadian system, only a commissioned, passenger airport qualifies for government funding and so the last few years have seen a focus on what is needed for cargo and continued economic growth. “We are looking for business opportunities,” says Robitaille. “We can accommodate almost any request. We have hangars, we have private outfitters, we have mechanics, we even have a crematorium out here at the airport,” he adds with a laugh, “so whatever you need, we can help arrange it. We are open for business,” he describes. One of the more interesting businesses located on the field is a General Motors Cold Weather Development Centre. Since opening in 1973 GM has used this facility to test over 300 vehicles a year to determine how they function in the extreme cold. The facility sits on 272 acres and includes 30 Cold Cells that can recreate -45-degree Celsius weather. With roots in the bush plane business of hauling hunters in and out of the woods, North Star Air grew from a couple of de Havilland Beavers to a fleet that now includes DC-3 Cargo planes. Headquartered in Thunder Bay, The Kapuskasing Facility has its logistics, pilots, and maintenance employees. North Star now serves the cargo needs of 54 remote Northern communities with its fleet of 18 aircraft and 280+ dedicated employees. “Covid grew our business,” explains Robitaille. “As the communities became more dependent on cargo being shipped in. The increase is approximately 30 percent. This means we are seeing a lot more flights in and out – which means when it comes to maintenance and upkeep, we are probably going to have to do an upgrade of our runway within the next five years.” Since there is no government funding for what ends up being millions of dollars in restoration and maintenance fees, Kapuskasing Airport relies on the partnership with North Star as well as fuel sales to balance their budget. North Star, roughly speaking, flies three cargo loads a day for six days a week. The airport is seeing over 3000 cargo movements each year. This also means fuel sales are around 1,000,000 liters (792,516 gallons) per year.