Cleared for Takeoff: Great North Airlines Eyes 2026 Growth

When Pivot Airlines launched in 2020, the name reflected what we were all doing at the time; pivoting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, six years later, the airline has rebranded to Great North Airlines complete with a long-term strategy focused on essential services, government contracts, and specialized charter operations.

Speaking with TravelMarketReport Canada, Great North Airlines CEO Eric Edmondson, explained the airline’s roots go back to Air Georgian, which spent two decades operating as a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) carrier for Air Canada. That relationship ended in 2019 as Air Canada reduced the number of CPA partners, just months before the pandemic hit.

“The timing wasn’t ideal,” Edmondson said. “But it ultimately forced a restructuring.”

In 2020, minority owners of Air Georgian acquired its assets, creating Pivot Airlines.

“Everyone thought COVID would last a few months, and we kept pivoting our business plan,” Edmondson explained. “From CPA flying to charter, to ACMI work — that’s really where the name came from.” (ACMI stands for Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance, and is a flexible solution for airlines to quickly add capacity for seasonal demand, new routes, or unexpected shortages without long-term ownership).

During the pandemic, Pivot carved out a role as an essential service carrier, subcontracting for airlines holding federal and provincial contracts. Operations included transporting Canadian Coast Guard and Department of National Defence personnel, medical teams, and other critical workers.

What sets Great North apart, Edmondson noted, is that the airline continued this work after COVID, while many competitors redeployed aircraft back into scheduled service or traditional leisure charter flying.

“There was still enough demand,” he said. “We found ourselves continuing to focus primarily on essential services.” That focus now includes wildfire evacuation flights, prisoner transfers and ACMI and specialized charter work.

Great North’s strategy positions it differently from seasonal charter operators that enter the market only during peak demand.

“We’re there in the buildup to the core season and as it tails off,” Edmondson said. “We’re working year-round to secure federal and provincial contracts. The Pivot phase worked, now we’re investing heavily in the areas where we’ve proven we’re strong.”

This consistency has allowed the airline to build operational expertise and long-term relationships with government and airline partners, rather than relying on consumer-facing demand.

With its new contract with ACS (Air Charter Service – the world’s leader of charter flights) – and CONNECT Airlines, there is an opportunity to grow that market segment for 2026. Through ACS, Great North is able to communicate its charter capabilities, aircraft availability, and operational expertise to tour operators, governments, and industry partners who require reliable lift for complex or time-sensitive missions. The CONNECT partnership also reinforces the airline’s role within Canada’s broader scheduled service aviation segment and tourism infrastructure, particularly in remote and northern markets.

“CONNECT allows us to stay engaged with the broader travel ecosystem while remaining focused on what we do best,” Edmondson said. “It’s about relationships, education, and alignment rather than selling seats.”

Growing that segment is in the works for 2026 as corporate travel trans-border continues to slow down.

““On the scheduled side, we’re looking at domestic markets to help us launch and sort of get kicked back into that part of the business on the Charter side. We don’t do a lot of consumer charters right now, but we’re trying to build that through ACS.”