Oceanside Air Ltd. is a new business at Qualicum Beach Airport aiming to get you soaring to your destination sooner.
That’s what the air charter service is offering residents in the Parksville Qualicum Beach and area.
Pavel Novak, the owner of Oceanside Air, said the goal is to provide an air service that will allow travellers to leave at their own leisure without having to go through the tedious airport routine of checking in and then waiting for the flight to leave.
“When you come to me as a customer and want to go to Vancouver, you pick the time,” said Novak. “You basically are in charge. If you say you want to leave at 8 a.m., then we leave at 8 a.m.”
Novak, a Transport Canada certified airplane mechanic engineer, used to maintain the planes for KD Air for more than 10 years when it was still operating at Qualicum Beach Airport. He wanted to continue the service KD offered but on a different scale. He decided to start his own air charter business two years ago and received Transport Canada certification to operate.
Oceanside Air, which has two twin-engine Senecas, now offers chartered flights to any destination you want within the 500 elliptical mile radius from Qualicum Beach. That includes anywhere on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Kelowna, Prince Rupert and other destinations.
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“If you can imagine an airline in demand,” said Doug Durrant, the spokesperson of Oceanside Air. “The type of equipment that they have, which is a Seneca, allows two people the flexibility of flying anywhere to Vancouver Island or the Mainland. You don’t have to wait around to fill six other seats. So if you and your wife needs to get to Boundary Bay or go to Vancouver, Victoria or wherever, we can do it right now.”
Other services offered by Oceanside Air include flying lessons and sightseeing tours to various locations.
Novak has a proposal with the Town of Qualicum Beach to allow him to set up his business office at the airport terminal. He is still waiting for the town’s decision.
For more information on Oceanside Air, you can visit their website https://www.oceansideair.com