Rise Air has signed a huge 15-year, $500 million agreement with Orano and Cameco, providing workforce transportation to Northern Saskatchewan. The Indigenous owned airline has a new fleet of aircraft that will provide more seats for employees.  Air Rise says the new fleet of aircrafts are much more efficient because they can carry 68 passengers on one aircraft whereas in the past, they could only carry 44 passengers.

The new agreement will foster long-term careers, employing more than 320 people in Saskatchewan.

Derek Nice is the CEO for Rise Air and says a pivotal part of their business plan is being able to recruit and obtain Indigenous employees and residents of the north. “Rise Air, like other airlines, depends on recruits and staff from right across the country, and sometimes overseas.  But we want to have a workforce that lives in Saskatchewan, comes from Saskatchewan and is invested in Saskatchewan.”

Nice says because they are Indigenous owners and have a commitment to increase Indigenous employment, especially and ideally with aircrafts flown by First Nations and Indigenous People that live in the communities they are flying to, they want cabin crew to be Indigenous. “We are recruiting Indigenous flight attendants and maintenance engineers and business engineers.”

Rise Air is 100 per cent Indigenous owned with Athabasca Basin Development and Prince Albert Development Corp as owners. The ownership collectively impacts 12 First Nations and four municipalities.