Pacific Seaplanes announces new services available in the BC Interior and Cariboo. We have opened a new base at Kamloops Airport BC. Visit our Cariboo page for latest news.
Welcome to Pacific Seaplanes
Pacific Seaplanes is Licensed by the Canadian Transportation Agency to provide Domestic and Non-Scheduled International air services which began in 2015. We are Transport Canada approved to operate charters, tours and seaplane pilot training. We have expanded and opened a new base in Kamloops, BC. Our office is now located at 3010 Aviation Way, Kamloops Airport.
Our company operates single and twin engine seaplanes seating from 3 to 8 passengers, we look forward to serving you throughout BC.
About Pacific Seaplanes Founder
Pacific Seaplanes founder, Randy Hanna, started his flying career in the late 1970’s flying seaplanes for many coastal commercial operators gaining thousands of hours seaplane experience. He left Canada for the South Pacific nation of Fiji in the early 1980’s and after a year flying in Paradise, moved on to Australia where he was hired to aid the start up of seaplane air services in Sydney, NSW, where he flew several years and thousands more hours. After returning to Canada in 1985, Hanna flew a Canadian Designed type conversion single engine water bomber and demonstrated the proof of concept fighting fires in Alaska, NW USA and British Columbia. By late 1985 he opened his own first airline and pioneered new routes and services in the Canadian Gulf Islands, selling the successful operation in 1998 to work internationally. He took over management of an overseas National Jet Airline located in the Central Pacific, and would eventually complete two tours of duty there with his wife Brenda and their four children, returning to Canada in the end of year 2000.
In 2001 back in Nanaimo BC, Randy decided to open yet another new airline in Nanaimo BC and pioneered first ever scheduled flight services between Nanaimo Harbour and Vancouver International Airport along with his wife Brenda, which grew steadily over the years. Another operator purchased the operation in a bid to expand in 2007, thus Hanna attempted retirement, which last only a year before being offered to fly with a large BC seaplane airline operating DeHavilland Twin Otters, where he flew for several years as Captain. On his days off he returned to teaching seaplane flying, a passion that continues to endure.
Over the years Randy recognized the need for additional seaplane services from Vancouver to the West Coast Vancouver Island areas of Bamfield and Barkely Sound and along with his wife Brenda, highly experienced in aviation management, founded Pacific Seaplanes in 2015 with a fleet of two single engine Cessna seaplanes and one 10 seat twin engine Beechcraft seaplane, where services grew to current day, with three twin engine seaplanes and a single engine trainer seaplane. The worldwide pandemic slowed growth however the travel sector is rebounding as the world seeks to visit Canada, thus the two set their sights on expanding seaplane charter services into the BC Interior and Cariboo, where Brenda was raised in a Ranching family. New offices and complete Transport Canada approvals were obtained in late 2023 and charter and training services will be available spring 2024. Randy has approximately 20,000 hours flight experience over 48 years accompanied by Brenda, with over 35 years working together managing their airlines with Randy, when not out riding their horses or tending to eight grandchildren.