Language selection

What is air-taxi?

Commercial air services in Canada are defined in Part VII of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs). There are four different categories, based on an aircraft’s takeoff weight, the type of work being performed and the number of passengers it is configured to carry. These are:

Single-engine aircraft, multi-engine aircraft that have a maximum takeoff weight of 8,618 kg or less and are configured to carry 9 passengers or less, and multi-engine helicopters certified for operation by a single pilot operating under visual flight rules (VFR), would fall under the air-taxi regulations.

Common aeroplanes used in air-taxi operations include: Beechcraft King Air 100, Cessna 185, Cessna 208, de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, Pilatus PC-12, Piper Navajo.

Common helicopters used in air-taxi operations include: Augusta A109, Bell 206, Bell 412, Eurocopter AS-350, Sikorsky S76.

Jet aircraft are not included in air-taxi regulations in Canada. These are generally regulated under subpart 604 of the CARs if privately operated, or under subpart 704 or 705 of the CARs depending on aircraft weight and passenger capacity, if operated commercially.

There are approximately 500 companies providing air-taxi services across Canada.