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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J U N E 2 0 2 5
W
WHEN TEARA Fraser became
a mother, she experienced a
profound shift in her life. She
yearned to understand who she
was and where she came from,
leading to a powerful reconnec-
tion with her Métis roots. "My
ancestry gave me solid ground
to stand upon," reveals Fraser.
TEARA FRASER F O U N D E R , I S K W E W A I R A N D E L I B I R D A E R O
ENTREPRENEURIAL LE ADER
With this deeper relation-
ship with her culture, her
dreams reawakened. At 30, she
embarked on a life-changing
trip to Africa. There, she had
her first experience in a small
aircraft. Enamoured of both the
plane and the pilot, she made
a daring choice. "I wanted to
know everything about the air-
craft, and I decided that I would
learn how to fly airplanes,"
she shares.
Within a year of returning
to Vancouver, she earned her
commercial pilot's licence and
began flying for a northern B.C.
airline. Feeling that "getting
her wings gave her wings," she
realized her true calling was to
create the first Indigenous and
woman-owned airline. In late
2019, she founded Iskwew Air.
She chose the airline's moni-
ker—which is the Cree word for
woman—as an act of reclaiming
womanhood, matriarchal lead-
ership and language.
"Aviation is a male-domi-
nated industry with little diver-
sity," Fraser acknowledges. "It
was a bold decision to literally
name an airline Woman Air, but
I'm here to disrupt the industry
and create space for change."
Launching an airline on the
brink of the COVID-19 pandemic
wasn't easy. However, despite
the challenges—rising costs and
the unpredictable nature of the
industry—Iskwew Air has made
strides. The airline has grown
to three aircraft, offers regular
service between Vancouver
and Qualicum Beach, devel-
oped cargo contracts and is one
of only three AMOs (Approved
Maintenance Organizations)
in Canada authorized to con-
duct maintenance on an
electric plane.
Passionate about sustain-
able innovation in aviation,
Fraser also founded elibird aero
in 2023, a company focused
on developing innovative
and sustainable aviation solu-
tions to "walk more softly on
Mother Earth."
Fraser's ambitions extend
beyond herself. "From an
Indigenous perspective, I have
a responsibility to future gener-
ations to do things differently,"
she explains. "I want to teach
my children to go after their
dreams—even when it's diffi-
cult—and that if you're tena-
cious and resourceful, you can
make them happen."–R.W.
"It was a bold
decision to
literally name
an airline
Woman Air,
but I'm here
to disrupt
the industry
and create
space for
change."
