Thriving Canadian Airline Shows Off Their New Livery

Edmonton – Canadian North’s B737-200 Combi Jet aircraft will take flight this week with a fresh coat of paint sporting their new northern look. The northern owned and operated airline is launching the first re-branded aircraft in their fleet, Feb. 21, 2003 traveling through Yellowknife, Rankin Inlet, Iqaluit and Ottawa. The airline plans to show off their new paint job to each northern community the 737 serves, within the next week.

Carmen Loberg, President of Canadian North said in presenting the newly painted aircraft, “We are excited about capturing the essence of the north with our new look. It is not just a logo. It represents our heritage and our future. It visually demonstrates the changes that we have made to transform Canadian North into a truly northern owned and operated airline.”

Three icons unique to the north are used to communicate Canadian North’s new brand – the polar bear, midnight sun and the northern lights. “We asked our customers what they felt was a true representation of the north and all that it had to offer. Through a long and in-depth process the polar bear, midnight sun and northern lights were the icons our customers repeatedly identified as the strongest northern images”, says Kelly Kaylo, Director of Marketing and Sales.

Kelly goes on to say “The polar bear is the north’s most powerful animal. It thrives in a land where opportunity is gained through hard work, smart thinking and quick action. The northern lights down the side of the fuselage represent the beauty, mystery and ever-changing nature of the north. They are symbolic of Canadian North’s free-moving spirit and willingness to change to better meet the needs of our customers. Like the northern lights, Canadian North is a familiar part of the northern sky.”

Canadian North was purchased from Canadian Airlines International in 1998 and since then the airline has continually been shifting towards complete independence with the new livery as the final, very public representation of that independence.

“As northerners we bought our own airline, staffed them with flight attendants that speak the languages of the north, reformed airline pricing and have been managing Canadian North to address the unique needs of northern travelers. Our new aircraft design is a natural progression to all of these changes,” says Carmen Loberg.

Over the next two years Canadian North’s entire fleet of B737 200 Combi jets will be painted in the new look as they cycle through the airline’s regularly scheduled heavy maintenance program.
“Our new livery is just one example of Canadian North’s commitment to reflecting the unique personality and needs of its northern customers.” Carmen Loberg said. “Plus, we continue to be proactive in the development the northern economy by investing in new routes, equipment and staff. This will ensure our position as the competitive force in northern air transportation.
That continues to be an important message for our customers, our shareholders and our competition.”

Celebrations will be held across the north in every community Canadian North serves.
Canadian North is a member of the NorTerra Group of Companies whose parent corporation, NorTerra Inc., is owned equally by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation representing the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic and by Nunasi Corporation representing the Inuit of Nunavut.

Photo Opportunity:

Where: Edmonton International Airport
When: February 20, 2003
Time: 8:00 am — 8:45 am (Aircraft photo opportunity on ramp — security pass required)
Aircraft viewing reception — 8th Flr. Boardroom OR ramp for media
8:50 am (Official speeches)
Aircraft viewing — 8th Flr. Boardroom
Speeches — Front of Canadian North ticket counter

For further information on the event and to inform us of your attendance (we will provide a security pass) contact:

Dennis Gould
Customer Service Manager
Canadian North Edmonton
Tel: (780) 890-4830

For more information on the release content contact:
Kelly Kaylo
Director Marketing & Sales
Canadian North Yellowknife
Tel: (867) 669-4007

For photographs of the new livery in various stages contact:
Robert Reddekopp
Advertising Coordinator
Canadian North Calgary
Tel: (403) 571-0762

Backgrounder February 18, 2003
What Goes into Painting an Aircraft?

• It takes two weeks to paint a 737 aircraft.
• The amount of paint it takes to paint a 737 aircraft is approximately 250 lbs.
• After the plane is painted it is reweighed and balanced.
• The paint is a two part epoxy paint that is mixed just before application and must be applied within a short time frame of mixing.
• To ensure the paint goes directly to the surface of the plane, minimizing the paint dissipating through the air, the paint is applied with an electrostatic application. The paint is positively charged and the aircraft is charged with a negative charge so they are attracted to each other.
• The belly of the plane is applied with a tephlon coating to prevent nicks when landing on a gravel strip.
• The following steps outline the painting process:
o Step 1 Plane is taped off to prevent treatment to portions of the plane that do not require paint including the vortex dissipater.

Vortex Dissipators are unique to Canadian North’s aircraft. They are a piece of equipment that protrudes in front of the engine that creates an air path to dissipate any gravel from getting close to the engine. As Canada’s north and a few of the southern airstrips are gravel this enables Canadian North to fly into communities that other aircraft (charter work included) would not be able to.

o Step 2 Stripper is applied and the previous paint is removed down to the aluminum.
o Step 3 The aluminum is resealed and a chemical is applied to etch the surface to enable the paint to adhere to the surface.
o Step 4 The paint is applied directly to the surface of the aluminum , there is no layering,
o Step 5 The design is taped off and applied in the following order:
 Royal Blue tail and top portion of the aircraft
 White polar bear and rest of the fuselage
 Yellow midnight sun and outlines of northern lights
 Navy northern lights
 Decaling of safety elements

History of Canadian North
Evolution
It’s adapting to the natural environment.
It’s following your instincts.
And finding better ways to do things.
Introducing the evolution of Canadian North.
1998
• Previously a division of Canadian Airlines International, Canadian North was bought by NorTerra Inc. Together with our partner carriers, we serve over 44 communities in the north.
• NorTerra Inc is jointly owned by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation (IDC), representing the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic and Nunasi Corporation, representing the Inuit of Nunavut.
• NorTerra is a 100% northern aboriginally owned holding company ranked in the top 500 Canadian Companies by the Financial Post.
1999
• Within one year of northern ownership Canadian North introduced air service between Iqaluit and Ottawa, providing more choices for Nunavut residents and permanently reducing airfares by 15%.
2001
• Canadian North adds to their fleet by introducing two specially modified F-28 aircraft with the only business class service in the north. We also increased our number of 737 Combi aircraft to four.
• Canadian North’s network expands with new direct service from Calgary to Yellowknife and Inuvik. This is in direct response to the north’s growing oil and gas industry.
• Canadian North staffs our F-28 aircraft with our own pilots and flight attendants.
2002
• Canadian North obtains our own air-operating certificate which allows us to control our own fleet of aircraft and hire our own pilots, customer service personnel, flight operation staff, and flight attendants (many of whom speak the languages of the north).
• In March of this year we increased our frequency to Cambridge Bay and hired our own check-in staff in Edmonton – the final step in hiring our own employees at all airports.
• In June Canadian North revolutionized the northern airline industry by completely restructuring our pricing model, resulting in permanently reduced airfares and the elimination of travel restrictions.
• Canadian North continues to realize our commitment of serving more northern communities through strong partnerships with Kenn Borek/Aklak Air and Northwright Air with code shared flights.
September 2002
• Canadian North celebrates our independence and we proudly unveil a bold new brand for this truly northern airline.
December 19, 2002
• Canadian North offers customers on-line booking option. Now customers can click n’ go when they log onto www.canadiannorth.com
February 20, 2003
• Canadian North launches their first 737 Combi aircraft with the new livery design.