The Government of Canada's Northwest Territories has awarded Buffalo Airways (J0, Yellowknife) a five-year contract to operate and maintains its fleet of eight Air Tractor 802A FireBoss Amphibious Water Bombers.
The contract is for a five-year period, covering the 2017-2018 to 2020-2021 wildland fire seasons, with an option to extend the contract for an additional five years. For the duration of its term, Buffalo Airways will be responsible for the supply and operation of bird-dog aircraft, pilots, engineers and maintenance capacity for the FireBoss fleet.
The new FireBoss fleet will enter service in time for the 2017 wildland fire season. They will replace the government's outgoing fleet of four Bombardier Aerospace (BBA, Montréal Trudeau) Canadair CL-215 amphibians.
For its part, Buffalo Airways has over thirty years of experience in the field of airborne firefighting. Its modified tanker fleet currently consists of a Lockheed Electra, three DC-4s, and four CL-215s.
