Kenn Borek Air

Kenn Borek Air is a Canadian aviation company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with its main base at Calgary International Airport. Its business combines regional scheduled flying with specialized contract aviation in remote and polar environments. The company operates passenger and cargo services, provides aircraft and crews for scientific expeditions and resource-sector projects, supports oil exploration and other remote industrial activity, conducts air ambulance missions, leases aircraft, and maintains aircraft through a full-service overhaul facility in Calgary. The company began in 1966 under the name Vic Turner Ltd. Its initial operation consisted of a single de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter used to support oil exploration in the Canadian Arctic. The Twin Otter became central to the company's operating model because of its ability to use short, rough, or improvised landing surfaces and, when equipped appropriately, snow and ice runways. In 1971 the business was acquired by Borek Construction and renamed Kenn Borek Air. Subsequent acquisitions expanded its regional presence and aviation capabilities, including Aklavik Flying Services and Kenting Atlas Aviation. Kenn Borek Air has maintained a significant Antarctic presence since 1985. Its polar work includes logistics for research stations, personnel transport, aircraft recovery, medical evacuations, and support for scientific programs. The company became particularly well known for operating in conditions where ordinary air-service models are impractical. Its missions have included the first documented rescue from the South Pole during the southern winter, the recovery of a crashed aircraft in Antarctica, and the evacuation of ill workers during the Antarctic winter. These operations require specialized aircraft preparation, ferry tanks, skis, experienced crews, temporary field camps, and close coordination with research and emergency organizations. In the Canadian Arctic, the company also operates scheduled services under the Aklak Air name. As of March 2025, the listed communities served included Fort McPherson, Inuvik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, and Ulukhaktok in the Northwest Territories, with service patterns affected by seasonal access conditions such as ice roads and river crossings. The company’s operating footprint is therefore broader than a conventional regional airline: it combines community connectivity with bespoke aviation services for governments, researchers, industrial customers, and expedition organizers. Kenn Borek Air’s aircraft history includes Twin Otters, King Airs, Beech 99s, DC-3 variants, Caribous, C-47s, and other utility and regional aircraft. Its converted DC-3 aircraft has also been used in scientific missions, including NASA’s Oceans Melting Greenland project. Maintenance is an important part of the business, with scheduled work performed at Calgary and routine maintenance conducted at deployed operating locations. The brand’s identity is consequently tied less to mass-market passenger travel than to reliability, flexibility, and the ability to operate safely in isolated, austere, and climatically extreme environments.

Kenn Borek Air traces its origins to Vic Turner Ltd, established in 1966 to provide aviation support for oil exploration in the Canadian Arctic. The original operation used a single de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, an aircraft well suited to remote flying because of its short-field performance, utility configuration, and ability to operate from limited infrastructure. The company's earliest business model was therefore built around contract aviation rather than a conventional network of large-airport passenger routes. In 1971, Borek Construction acquired the company and renamed it Kenn Borek Air. The change connected the airline with a broader industrial organization while preserving its focus on remote-area operations. Kenn Borek later expanded through the acquisition of Aklavik Flying Services. That predecessor had been founded in April 1947 by Michael Zubko with a single Aeronca Champion, giving Kenn Borek access to an older lineage of northern aviation and local community service. The company also acquired Kenting Atlas Aviation in 1975. Kenting Atlas had been created in 1972 when Kenting Aviation purchased Atlas Aviation, an operation associated with Weldy Phipps and originally established in 1962. The Atlas name itself had an earlier aviation history connected to the renaming of McGuire Flying School at Ottawa's Uplands Airport, which had been formed in 1946 by Hugh McGuire. Through these acquisitions, Kenn Borek incorporated operating history and assets from several Canadian aviation businesses. Kenn Borek Air began operating in Antarctica in 1985. Antarctic work became one of its defining capabilities and included transport for scientific research, station logistics, expedition support, aircraft recovery, and emergency medical missions. The company's polar operations have relied heavily on Twin Otters configured for snow and ice operations, as well as crews and maintenance personnel experienced in extreme weather, isolation, and limited communications. Operations have also been conducted from Punta Arenas, Chile, particularly from September through March, with Antarctic flights departing from Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport. A major milestone occurred on 26 April 2001, when one of the company's Twin Otters rescued physician Ronald Shemenski from Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station during the southern winter. Because the aircraft needed additional range, it was fitted with a special ferry tank. The flight is described as the first rescue from the South Pole during the southern winter. In 2009, Kenn Borek personnel spent 25 days in a temporary Antarctic camp while recovering a crashed aircraft, demonstrating the company's role as both an air operator and a field-support contractor. The airline's polar profile also brought it into public-facing scientific and media projects. The BBC used the company during filming of Frozen Planet, released in 2011. In 2016, two Twin Otters successfully evacuated two sick workers from Antarctica during the polar winter; members of the crew received recognition from Aviation Week. In 2020, a converted Kenn Borek Air DC-3 supported NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland program by dropping scientific probes along Greenland's Atlantic coast. Alongside its polar contracts, Kenn Borek has continued to operate regional passenger and cargo services in the Canadian North. Under the Aklak Air name, its scheduled destinations have included Inuvik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and Fort McPherson, where service availability can depend on seasonal transportation conditions. The company also provides air ambulance work, aircraft leasing, charter services for scientific and industrial customers, and maintenance. Its Calgary facility offers full-service overhaul capability, while routine maintenance can be completed at operating locations. The resulting business is a diversified specialist airline whose central competitive proposition is dependable aviation in remote, infrastructure-limited, and polar environments.

• 2020

  NASA Greenland research support

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  A converted DC-3 deployed probes for NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland research program.

• 2016

  Antarctic winter medical evacuation

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  Two Twin Otters evacuated two sick workers from Antarctica during the polar winter.

• 2009

  Antarctic aircraft recovery

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  Employees completed a 25-day field operation to recover a crashed aircraft in Antarctica.

• 2001

  South Pole winter rescue

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  A specially equipped Twin Otter rescued Ronald Shemenski from the South Pole during the southern winter.

• 1985

  Antarctic operations begin

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  The company began operating in Antarctica, establishing a long-term role in polar logistics and research support.

• 1975

  Acquisition of Kenting Atlas Aviation

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  Kenn Borek expanded through the acquisition of Kenting Atlas Aviation.

• 1971

  Renamed Kenn Borek Air

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  Following acquisition by Borek Construction, Vic Turner Ltd adopted the Kenn Borek Air name.

• 1966

  Company established as Vic Turner Ltd

  [1]Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org

  The business began with a single DHC-6 Twin Otter supporting oil-exploration activity in the Canadian Arctic.

A specialist remote-area airline and aviation-services provider focused on Arctic, Antarctic, regional, scientific, industrial, medical, and expedition operations.

• Passenger aviation

  Regional passenger services

  Kenn Borek Air provides regional passenger connectivity in remote northern communities. Scheduled operations have included service under the Aklak Air name to communities in the Northwest Territories, including Inuvik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and, under specified seasonal conditions, Fort McPherson. These services address markets where roads, ferries, and ice roads may be seasonal or unavailable.

• Specialist charter aviation

  Arctic and Antarctic charter operations

  The company charters aircraft for scientific expeditions, research stations, resource exploration, industrial projects, and other remote-area customers. Operations can involve short or improvised runways, ski-equipped aircraft, temporary bases, and specialized fuel planning. Antarctic flying is coordinated from southern South America during the principal operating season.

• Medical aviation

  Air ambulance and medical evacuation

  Kenn Borek Air conducts air ambulance and emergency evacuation missions in isolated regions. Its polar capability has included winter missions from Antarctica, where darkness, severe weather, distance, and limited infrastructure make medical transport unusually demanding.

• Aviation support services

  Aircraft leasing and maintenance

  Beyond flying, Kenn Borek Air leases aircraft and operates a full-service overhaul maintenance hangar in Calgary. Routine maintenance can also be completed wherever aircraft are deployed, supporting the company's long-distance contracts and remote operating locations.

• 2020Oceans Melting Greenland support

  Greenland · Scientific research

  Kenn Borek Air supported NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland project with a converted DC-3 used to deploy probes along Greenland's Atlantic coast.

  Outcome. The aircraft contributed to a research program monitoring processes associated with Greenland ice-sheet melt and sea-level rise.

  Source
• 2011Frozen Planet production support

  International media production

  The BBC used Kenn Borek Air aircraft and aviation support during the production of Frozen Planet, an internationally distributed documentary series about polar environments.

  Outcome. One of the company's aircraft appeared in portions of the documentary footage, increasing public visibility of its polar operating role.

  Source

• 1985

  Expansion into Antarctic operationsStrategy

  Background

  The company applied its remote-area and utility-aircraft experience to the Antarctic operating environment.

  Action taken

  Kenn Borek Air began providing Antarctic aviation support for research, logistics, and expedition customers.

  Aftermath

  Antarctic work became a defining part of the company's specialist aviation identity.

  Source

• 1971

  Borek Construction acquisition and rebrandingM&A

  Background

  The original Vic Turner Ltd operation was acquired by Borek Construction after several years of Arctic oil-exploration support.

  Action taken

  The company was renamed Kenn Borek Air and continued developing its remote-area aviation activities.

  Aftermath

  The rebranded business later expanded through additional aviation acquisitions and Antarctic operations.

  Source

1. 1Kenn Borek Airen.wikipedia.org