Dehcho Regional Helicopters is pleased to announce that its ownership group has grown to include the business arm of Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN) of Fort Simpson, the largest First Nation in the region.

“This is a very satisfying milestone for our partnership,” said JoAnne Deneron, Dehcho Regional Helicopters President. “We have always been 100 per cent aboriginal owned and controlled and now our ownership group includes 100 per cent of the Aboriginal groups in the Nahendeh portion of the Dehcho region.”

In addition to LKFN, Dehcho Regional Helicopters is a joint-venture partnership that includes the investment entities of Acho Dene Koe First Nation in Fort Liard, Pehdzeh Ki First Nation in Wrigley, Fort Simpson Metis Local 52, Nahanni Butte Dene Band, Sambaa K’e Dene Band in Trout Lake and Jean Marie River First Nation.

Dehcho Regional Helicopters was selected as the 2010 Business of the Year by the NWT Chamber of Commerce and owns its own Eurocopter AS350 B2 registered under the call letters DCV. The business is primarily operated out of two regional bases, one in Fort Liard and the other in Fort Simpson. All flight operations for this partnership are conducted by Great Slave Helicopters Ltd.

“We’re always in pursuit of opportunities to invest wisely on behalf of our membership,” said LKFN Chief Jim Antoine. “We’ve seen the success achieved by the founding partners of Dehcho Regional Helicopters and are convinced this is a venture that continually delivers profits to its Aboriginal owners – we’re excited to be a part of the team moving forward.”

ABOUT THE GREAT SLAVE HELICOPTER PARTNERSHIPS
The Northlinx network includes 12 profitable, primarily Aboriginal-owned helicopter companies around the NWT and Nunavut. These include Denendeh Helicopters, Dehcho Regional Helicopters, Akaitcho Helicopters, Sahtu Helicopters, Tlicho Helicopters, Kitikmeot Helicopters, Gwich’in Helicopters, Havgun Helicopters, Kivalliq Aviation, Superior Helicopters, Hudson Bay Helicopters and now K’ahsho Got’ine Helicopters. Flight operations for Northlinx are conducted by Great Slave Helicopters, with the exceptions of Sahtu Helicopters, Denendeh Helicopters, Superior Helicopters and Hudson Bay Helicopters, that conduct flight operations under their own operating certificates. Together these ventures come together in partnership with Great Slave Helicopters Ltd. in the Northlinx network allowing all partners to benefit from pan-territorial mega-projects requiring helicopter services.