Name

Carson Air

Legal name

Carson Air Ltd.

Website

https://carsonair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Ambulance Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Air Transport (Air Ambulance/Patient Transfer) (TLAFABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD), Charter Air Freight Forwarding (Full/Part Charter, ACMI Brokerage) (TLACAAAC), Emergency, Evacuation & Repatriation Charter Operators (THABADAH)

Keywords

• Air ambulance services
• Fixed-wing medevac
• Air cargo operations
• Flight training school
• Aircraft maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Air Ambulance / Medevac Services: Fixed wing medevac services contracted for the Province of British Columbia under BCEHS contract. Carson Air was awarded sole provider status for 10+ years in June 2023. Also provides chartered medevac across North America.
2. Air Cargo Services: Cargo operations partnership with FedEx, flying air cargo to key cities throughout British Columbia from the Calgary International Airport base. Heavy maintenance performed at Kelowna base.
3. Flight Training: Flight training programs through Southern Interior Flight Centre in partnership with Okanagan College. Programs include recreational permit, private/commercial pilot licenses, commercial aviation diploma, multi-engine and instrument ratings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carson Air Ltd. provides fixed-wing air ambulance (medevac) services for the Province of British Columbia under a 10+ year sole-provider contract with BCEHS, dedicated air cargo services for FedEx across BC and Alberta, and flight training programs through its Southern Interior Flight Centre partnership with Okanagan College. The company also operates integrated aircraft maintenance (line and heavy) across five bases supporting its Metro III, King Air, Beech 1900D, Cessna Citation 560, and Metroliner III fleet.

Product overview

Carson Air operates as a diversified aviation services company consisting of four integrated service lines: Fixed Wing Air Ambulance (Medevac) Services serving British Columbia as the primary provider, Air Cargo Services partnering with FedEx across BC and Alberta, Aircraft Maintenance supporting the company's own fleet and operations across five bases, and Southern Interior Flight Centre providing flight training through an Okanagan College partnership. These services are unified under a single corporate structure (a subsidiary of Exchange Income Corporation) with shared infrastructure, bases of operation, and operational leadership, enabling integrated aviation solutions for medevac, cargo, and training needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southern Interior Flight Centre: Flight training school operated by Carson Air in partnership with Okanagan College, offering pilot training programs from recreational permits to commercial licenses.

Products and services

• Fixed Wing Air Ambulance (Medevac) Services Fixed-wing air ambulance services for the Province of British Columbia and chartered medevac across North America, operated from bases in Kelowna, Vancouver, Prince George, and Fort St John. Includes a Transport Canada-certified bariatric transport aircraft capable of moving patients up to 700 lbs, plus configurations for three prone patients with medical team, ECMO machines, isolation pods, and incubators.
• Air Cargo Services Dedicated air cargo services for FedEx to key cities throughout British Columbia, operated from the Calgary International Airport base using Metroliner III aircraft with maximum capacity of 4,200 lbs per flight.
• Aircraft Maintenance Aircraft maintenance services operating 7 days a week at all five bases, providing both line and heavy maintenance on the Metro III, King Air 350/360, Beech 1900D, and Cessna Citation 560 fleet.
• Southern Interior Flight Centre (Flight Training) Flight training programs in partnership with Okanagan College, including a full-time college business diploma combined with flight training, or self-paced programs covering recreational permits, private/commercial pilot licenses, multi-engine and instrument ratings, and instructor ratings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sole provider of Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance services in BC (10+ year contract)

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FedExcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarson Air provides dedicated air cargo services for FedEx to key cities throughout British Columbia. Cargo operations are based out of Calgary International Airport, with heavy maintenance performed at the Kelowna base.
• Okanagan CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Interior Flight Centre (part of Carson Air) operates in partnership with Okanagan College to offer a full-time college business diploma program combined with flight training. Programs include recreational permit, private/commercial pilot licenses, multi-engine and instrument ratings.
• British Columbia Emergency Health Services (BCEHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarson Air serves as the sole provider of Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance services in British Columbia under a 10+ year contract awarded in June 2023. The company operates medevac bases in Kelowna, Vancouver, Prince George, and Fort St John serving BCEHS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Perimeter Aviation: Manitoba-based regional carrier and medevac operator, also an EIC subsidiary. Operates similar multi-service aviation model (passenger, cargo, medevac) under government contracts, sharing the parent company's strategic playbook.
• Calm Air: Another EIC-owned northern Canadian airline offering scheduled passenger, charter, and medevac services. Comparable diversified regional aviation platform with government contract dependency and similar fleet profile.
• Ornge: Ontario's provincially-mandated air ambulance service, operating fixed-wing and rotary-wing medevac across Canada's largest province. Closest analogue to Carson Air's sole-provider BCEHS model in terms of contract structure, mission, and fleet composition.
• Wasaya Airways: Northern Ontario charter and medevac operator with a similar dependence on provincial health contracts and remote community service. Comparable fleet philosophy (mix of turboprop platforms) and customer base.
• Morningstar Air Express: Canadian FedEx feeder operator with comparable dedicated cargo flying under contract, similar aircraft types (Metro/Convair lineage), and overlapping Western Canadian routes — the most direct competitor for Carson Air's FedEx partnership.
• Voyageur Airways: Northern Ontario charter and medevac operator, also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exchange Income Corporation. Directly comparable on business model (charter medevac + cargo + MRO), customer profile (government health services), and ownership/strategic context.
• PAL Airlines: Atlantic Canadian carrier offering scheduled, charter, and medevac services with a multi-base model similar to Carson Air. Comparable in operating diversified aviation services across challenging geography under government and enterprise contracts.
• STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service): Non-profit helicopter air ambulance operator across Western Canada (including BC and Alberta). Comparable mission and customer base (provincial health authorities), though rotor-wing focused — relevant for understanding the medevac competitive landscape Carson Air operates in.

Broad incumbents

• CAE: Global aviation training leader and long-standing operator of pilot training programs. Comparable to Carson Air's Southern Interior Flight Centre in training scope, though CAE operates at a vastly larger scale and as an incumbent across multiple aviation training segments.

Regional players

• Kelowna Flightcraft: BC-based cargo and charter operator with historical FedEx feeder relationship and MRO capabilities. Operates from Kelowna like Carson Air and competes for similar Western Canadian cargo and charter customers, though its primary international focus differs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carson Air