Can you present OCTANT Aviation?

OCTANT Aviation is a consulting firm established to support air carriers, airports, as well as public and private organizations for their aviation projects. We help our clients put in place structured and sustainable projects for their operations. Our great strength resides primarily in our detailed knowledge of the technical, logistical, and regulatory aspects involved in aerial operations as well as airport operations.

Projects can range from planning the construction of a runway, organizing transportation logistics, selecting appropriate air carriers, or even just supporting on-site operations on a regular basis. Let me give you an example.OCTANT Aviation was mandated by the Nunatsiavut government to plan the relocation of the Nain airstrip in Labrador. Its relocation has become necessary to ensure reliable and safe service to the community. Construction work is scheduled to begin in 2026. Ultimately, this new fully equipped 6,000 ft runway will be an extraordinary opportunity for the mining industry.

How do mining companies leverage your services?

Mining companies use OCTANT Aviation’s services to plan the construction of a runway or to optimize existing infrastructure. We cater to all aspects of the development process concerning site selection, engineering, construction, and the complete commissioning of the site.

The shortage of human resources has become a serious challenge for the mining industry. As such, mining organizations must gather personnel from several locations to bring them to the mine site. This situation makes “fly-in fly-out’’ logistics more complex and more expensive. This is why we also work on the organization of logistics and the management of their flights. Our job is to negotiate agreements with air carriers, optimize routes, and manage flights on a daily basis. We operate a 24/7 operations center composed of dispatchers, reservations agents, and flight coordinators. If a worker needs to be evacuated for sickness or accident, we mobilize a specialized aircraft with medical staff to be there within few hours.

Finally, our "SWAT team" can be deployed at anytime, anywhere, when the situation requires it. This very versatile team is composed of airport controllers, base managers, ground handlers, and trainers. Largely, we are more a strategic partner than just a service provider for mining firms.

How are fleets adapted to the specific conditions in the North?

The fleets of our carriers are composed mainly of De Havilland Dash-8s, as short airstrips are standard in the North. Most runways are gravel and very few types of aircraft can land on these surfaces. On longer runways, the Boeing 737-200 is still the most suitable aircraft, with a tremendous weight capacity and being the only jet capable of operating on gravel runways. Fleet is a key factor to consider when operating in the North. 

What optimization approaches have you used to improve your sustainability?

Besides managing day-to-day flights very carefully to reduce environmental impact, we are working to find a stabilizer product for gravel runways that will allow the use of more recent-generation aircraft that have less jet-fuel consumption. This type of product could potentially reduce the frequency of runway maintenance. That would be a game-changer for the industry. On another front, we also worked with one of the air carriers serving many of the remote communities in the North. OCTANT Aviation optimized its flight paths at each airport by designing more straight-in approaches in line with the carrier’s itinerary. These improvements resulted in significantly diminished fuel consumption.

What will be the priority for OCTANT Aviation in the months ahead?

Mining companies are very keen on workers’ safety, and this is no exception when it comes to aviation operations. There are a few companies that still do not treat aviation with the same emphasis as their principal mining operation, mainly because their expertise is mining and not aviation, thorough management of aviation (runway and carriers) is likewise a key component of workers’ safety.

Fifteen years ago, Transport Canada issued federal regulations requiring both air carriers and airports to operate a Safety Management System (SMS) within their organizations to manage their own risk. It was a complete culture shift. To facilitate the process, we developed a software to manage the SMS and help organizations comply with regulations. It was a big achievement for OCTANT, but more importantly, it eases the life of our clients.