Honey farm workers, Canada
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Canadian Honey Council asked Air Charter Service to fly 80 skilled seasonal workers from Nicaragua to Canada, where they were urgently needed by commercial beekeepers for the spring hive-building season.
OUR SOLUTION
Route: Managua > Calgary > Saskatoon > Brandon > Toronto
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800NG
With both countries in lockdown, scheduled flights were suspended and we had to pull out all the stops to push through a chartered flight against the clock. Foreign workers were banned from entering Canada during lockdown, however we were able to secure permission for the flight to go ahead by offering to repatriate 40 Canadians who were stranded in Nicaragua and couldn’t otherwise get home. We had to provide certificates proving the crew had tested negative for Covid-19, so our team quickly arranged for staff to be tested and liaised with the consulate to expedite landing permits.
We sourced a Boeing 737-800NG, as it had a large payload but was still able to fly direct from Canada to Nicaragua. A ferry flight from Toronto was arranged to collect the group from the Nicaraguan capital of Managua before transporting them back to Canada, stopping first in Calgary before continuing east to other provinces where honey farms were located.
THE FINER DETAILS
Attention to Detail: Transport Canada required all passengers to wear facemasks, so we sourced some for the group to wear while boarding and during the flight.
24/7 Operation: Thanks to our round-the-clock operation, we were able to provide the client with progress updates throughout the 24-hour-long live flight.
