History & Ownership of Pronto Airways

Pronto Airways provides scheduled passenger and cargo service to Northern Saskatchewan and Nunavut, including Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Points North, Wollaston Lake, Stony Rapids, Uranium City, Rankin Inlet, and Baker Lake.   

Pronto Airways’ story starts within another Saskatchewan Airline. West Wind Aviation is Saskatchewan's largest aviation support group. West Wind’s accumulated expertise focuses on aircraft charter, aircraft maintenance, corporate aircraft management, and Aerocentre operations which include fueling and other ground support services.

Dennis Goll, President and CEO of West Wind Aviation says "From day one, our company and its outstanding people have been dedicated to safety and service. That is the commitment we live by, day in and day out."

In order to live up to these commitments West wind has established a number of safety nets. On the operations side, a Safety Management System (SMS) is in place. This program provides a continuous improvement process and a system of risk management. On the maintenance side a state of the art computer based tracking system called Remote Access Aviation Services (RAAS) is used. This tracks all inspections, components, parts management, planning and forecasting for every aircraft in the fleet.

West Wind Aviation is audited both internally and externally on a frequent basis. As part of the SMS system, internal audits are conducted on both maintenance and flight operations. External audits are conducted by Transport Canada on a frequent basis. A number of mining companies in Saskatchewan and oil and gas companies from Alberta have their own independent auditors inspect West Wind Aviation. In all of these audits and inspections, West Wind Aviation has developed a reputation for setting the bench mark for all other related companies.

The guiding principle which Dennis Goll spoke about has proven to be successful as is evidenced by the numerous awards presented to Mr. Goll and West Wind Aviation.

In 2002, West Wind recognized the benefit of partnering with northern First Nations communities. Dialogue began with the Prince Albert Development Corporation (PADC) and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC). These two highly respected organizations represent a vast group of First Nations communities throughout northern Saskatchewan. An agreement was reached and 51% of West Wind Aviation was owned equally between these two First Nations organizations. The Grand Chiefs of the Prince Albert Grand Council and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council both sit on the board of directors for West Wind Aviation.

West Wind Aviation’s senior management recognized the need for additional scheduled air service into the north. In 2006 a new airline company was formed, Pronto Airways, with West Wind aviation holding significant ownership in Pronto Airways.

Pronto Airways provides direct ownership benefits to the First Nations communities in the Athabasca region of northern Saskatchewan as a result of West Wind Aviations' significant ownership in Pronto Airways. Pronto contracts West Wind to maintain and fly Pronto’s fleet of aircraft. Pronto also draws on West Wind’s management and staff to assist Pronto Airways be one of the best scheduled air carriers in the region.