National

Helijet to add electric helicopters to B.C. fleet

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Dec, 2021 03:23 PM

RICHMOND, B.C. - North America's largest helicopter airline has announced its plans to add electric helicopters to its fleet in British Columbia.

Helijet president Danny Sitnam says the company has partnered with Blade, a technology company, to begin work to build and integrate the so-called electric vertical aircraft into its fleet.

He says they hope the vehicles will be operable for commercial use within five to 10 years, with the goal of making urban air travel more efficient, sustainable and affordable.

Sitnam says he is not yet sure how many aircraft will be added, but the company plans to integrate the electric helicopters into its current fleet.

He says they will be used primarily in urban environments because the technology is not yet advanced enough for heavy load utility work such as firefighting.

Helijet says it will continue its current routes but also intends to add new stops in the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle and Portland.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. teachers urged to get vaccinated

Union president Teri Mooring said Friday that it's up to the provincial government to take leadership at a time when cases among schoolchildren are climbing instead of relying on 60 school districts to come up with their own vaccine mandates.

B.C. teachers urged to get vaccinated

TransLink employees told to get COVID-19 vaccine

TransLink, Metro Vancouver's transportation network, and the Insurance Corporation of B.C. have announced their workers must be fully vaccinated by November.

TransLink employees told to get COVID-19 vaccine

B.C. posts leading jobs numbers, low jobless rate

Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon says the numbers indicate B.C.'s recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic is gaining strength provincewide, with the Prince George, Okanagan and Cariboo areas posting the strongest gains.

B.C. posts leading jobs numbers, low jobless rate

Catalytic converter theft leads to assault on Vancouver woman

On October 4, just before 7:30 a.m., the victim confronted two men who were actively removing the catalytic converter from her vehicle, which was parked near Renfrew Street and East 1st Avenue. The suspects deployed bear spray when the victim approached them. The suspects are still outstanding.

Catalytic converter theft leads to assault on Vancouver woman

StatCan says economy added 157,000 jobs in Sept.

Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate would have been 8.9 per cent in September, down from 9.1 per cent in August, had it included in calculations Canadians who wanted to work but didn't search for a job.

StatCan says economy added 157,000 jobs in Sept.

Tam says reason for optimism in fourth wave fight

Dr. Theresa Tam said the efforts made to slow the spread where the virus is surging appear to be working. She said hard lessons must be learned about the risks of removing public health measures too soon, particularly in areas where not enough people have been vaccinated.