April 5, 2007 – SkyLink Aviation, the Canadian company that has gained a global reputation for the rapid deployment of people and oversized cargo to their destination anywhere on the planet, is now poised to offer its services to the Alberta oilpatch.

SkyLink Aviation recently conducted a major airlift of military equipment and personnel from Edmonton International Airport to Afghanistan and across Canada, says Chris Gillanders, SkyLinks western regional manager.

To accomplish this feat, we used the Russian built Antonov AN-124, the worlds largest cargo aircraft with a payload of 120 tons, and charted passenger aircraft. Within a 48-hour request period, SkyLink Aviation arranged for seven passenger aircraft flights and eight Antonov AN-124 flights, and coordinated the logistics of the operation.

Gillanders, a professional commercial pilot and native Albertan, has an extensive background with the infantry of the Canadian Armed Forces. He has spent several years managing international emergency response programs for the United Nations, and global logistics management, in some of the worlds most dangerous and demanding environments.

More recently, Gillanders launched and co-ordinated emergency air and logistics operations during the Tsunami in Indonesia and the earthquake in Pakistan. In the summer of 2006, he co-ordinated helicopter and passenger evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon, for SkyLink.

With SkyLinks successful global track record of getting people and oversized cargo where they need to go -- on time, on budget and safely -- we are well positioned to compete for Albertas oilpatch business, explains Gillanders. We are global leaders in managing transport and logistics projects in the harshest and most inhospitable locations on the planet.

He cited another example. SkyLink Aviation, in conjunction with Airborne Energy Solutions, Nabors and UTair, introduced the first Mi-26, the worlds largest helicopter [capable of lifting and transporting a 20-ton payload] to the Alberta/NWT market. The Mi-26 helped launch a heli-portable drilling and production program effectively expanding the arctic-exploration and drilling window of opportunity in the Mackenzie Valley from 100 to 300 days per year. At SkyLink Aviation, we have the resources, the equipment and the know-how to make big things happen in the western Canadian oil and gas industry.

In western and northern Canada, SkyLink Aviation provides specialized airborne and logistics services for businesses and governments. These global services include oversized global air cargo, transporting oversize oil and gas equipment with heavy lift helicopters, and providing overall project logistics management. SkyLink operates in five market segments in western Canada: oil and gas logistics support; international freight forwarding; corporate and private jet aircraft charters for individuals, governments and corporations -- anywhere in the world; mining logistics support; and environmental monitoring using sophisticated airborne hyper-spectral analysis equipment. SkyLink Aviation Inc. Western Canada is part of SkyLink Aviation Inc, with strategic offices located throughout the world.

Contact:
Skylink
Arti Singh

New York, NY – August 2006 – In the face of companies retracting services and limiting potentials for profitability for travel agents, SkyLink Travel takes the high road by broadening its availability and programs. SkyLink, the Travel-Agents-ONLY consolidator, has put its 26 years of Commitment to Excellence to the travel agency community to work by adding new programs to its comprehensive approach for agents. These include:

      • Toll-Free Personalized attention 12 hours daily.
      • Easy Toll-Free Number: 1-800-AIR-ONLY.
      • Ticketing through 6pm daily in every time zone.
      • The ONLY Fares Management tool offering 32 million net fares       and discounted published fares.
      • A super-sophisticated Agent-Only website for automated       bookings at www.skylinkus.com.

The new SkyLink Service Center hours of operation provide access and professional assistance from 9am to 9pm ET, 8am to 8pm CT, 7am to 7pm MT and 6am to 6pm PT. Included in this expanded availability of service is the opportunity to have tickets run through 6pm in each time zone.

“This is a powerful tool for agents,” states Arti Singh, SkyLink’s Marketing & e-Commerce Manager for the USA. “Being able to efficiently close a profitable ticket sale on behalf of a client means that agents will experience higher client satisfaction while they earn substantial profits on that sale,” Singh notes.

“We have a long and strong history of providing agents with major global and domestic carriers which afford them the opportunity to profit from air sales while receiving the highest quality of attention from our nationwide reservations and service centers which process both telephone and web bookings from our agent-only website, www.skylinkus.com, “Singh explains. “To do that, we continue our tradition of being focused on the most important item in any good program: the right people to provide quality service to our agency clients!” Singh states.

Singh points out that the building blocks of success for SkyLink US are based on 3 important points:

      • Dedication to Travel Agents.
      • Focus on Excellence of Service to the Agency Community.
      • Extraordinary value allowing agents to profit on every sale.

Singh explains that, “SkyLink Travel provides agents with unique opportunities to do the impossible: earn substantial profits from the sale of airline tickets to your clients. You will find, on an ever-evolving basis, over 30 million (30,000,000) net fares from the US and Canada involving over 8 thousand (8,000) city pairs and over 1000 destinations. With almost 700 gateway cities to choose from in North America, you can choose from 67 major US and international carriers with service available in coach as well as offerings in Business and First Class from the US to 6 continents! When your client compares the marked-up fares that you offer them, on which you make substantial profits, to the fares to the same destinations on the same airlines that they find at online travel sellers, their loyal return to your services will be one more reason that you enjoy the relationship you have with SkyLink. What’s more, you can pay with your client’s credit card and your client receives the airline frequent flier miles in most cases!” Singh notes.

“SkyLink Travel’s programs not only work for the leisure traveler, but will dazzle business travelers by providing them with: the service they want from agents and cost-advantages extended to them by agents using SkyLink,” Singh continues. “Another plus is that agents can provide itineraries that ticket on major air carriers while the agent makes significant profits on every airline ticket purchased from SkyLink!”

For the business traveler, SkyLink provides:
      • Net Business & First Class Fares.
      • The best combination of airlines to every continent.
      • Over 32 million international and domestic fares.
      • 8,200 city pairs from all USA gateways to points worldwide.
      • Upgrade certificates.
      • E-tickets up to 2 hours before departure.
      • Acceptance of major credit cards.
      • www.skylinkus.com to make booking easy.
      • Service Center with Air Travel Professionals to help you through those uniquely difficult       itineraries.

SkyLink Travel’s multi-lingual staff provides web buyers with the opportunity to get personal assistance at 1-800-AIR-ONLY. This customized service compliments the comprehensive online content which provides, “the best international content available on the web,” states Singh. Agents can book complex itineraries, get quotes for “best fare available,” email questions and requests, and speak to our travel specialists for the destinations in question from 9:00am to 9:00pm ET weekdays with ticketing available until 6pm in each time zone. If assistance is necessary in a language other than English, you’ll find SkyLink’s team replicates what you’d expect to hear at the UN with staffers who speak fluent Russian, Turkish, Romanian, Farsi, Arabic, Iranian, French, Spanish, and an array of Pacific Rim languages from the Philippines to the Indian Sub-continent,” Singh concludes.

Contact:
Skylink
Arti Singh

The history-making plane that landed in Toronto last year carrying about 150 birs (copies) of the holy Guru Granth from India belonged to SkyLink.

Today, the (odd) plane seen on CNN downloading relief supplies in Iraq belongs to SkyLink.

Whether it is the deadly tsunami or an earthquake, you will invariably see SkyLink planes downloading relief supplies, men and material in the world's troubled spots or war zones.

Indeed, SkyLink is synonymous with international relief operations. And this SkyLink airline belongs to a Toronto-based Indian immigrant -- Surjit Babra. "Not a usual airline, SkyLink is an air charter and leasing service provider which is hired by UN agencies and governments to ferry medicine, men and material to troubled parts of the world. We are one of the handful airlines which are hired by governments and UN agencies for relief operations,'' Babra had once told this correspondent in his downtown Toronto office.

This Indian-owned airline has just been given with two prestigious awards - the Mother Teresa Award for international humanitarian work and the Counterpart Humanitarian Award. While Babra received the first award in Los Angeles, his CEO Walter Arbib received the second award in New York.

As well as recipient of the Business Person of the Year Award in 1996 from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, Babra was also given the Sikh Sewa Award in 1998 for his "leadership excellence and commitment.''

How did this Indian make a name for himself in this unusual field ?

As he had told this correspondent then, "Way back in 1972, I started work as a travel consultant in London, and then I started a retail travel agency solely to promote India.''

As he learnt the ropes of his trade, Babra saw a huge potential in airline ticket consolidation and GSA representation in the North American market.

"So in 1979 I left London and moved to Toronto to set up my small travel office. It was then that I started this whole exercise.''

And in 1988, he joined hands with a former Israeli travel agent, Walter Arbib, to float SkyLink. Today while Babra is the president, Arbib is the CEO of the group.
After their initial success in Toronto, Babra built a huge presence in the North American market by setting up offices in Los Angeles, Washington DC., Chicago, Miami, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.

From being a five-member, $5m company in 1988, SkyLink is today a multi-million group, employing hundreds of staff around the world. SkyLink Aviation, SkyLink Travel, SkyLink Express and SkyLink Holidays are the arms of this conglomerate. The group has also expanded into retail travel by acquiring the master rights for Global Travel Network and ventured into Internet Travel Technology.

Among the major international organizations to which SkyLink provides aircraft and logistical support are the UN, the World Food Programme, USAID, IOM and many other government agencies, including the Canadian armed forces.

How does SkyLink operate ?

As Babra had explained, "We are a standby airline which has copters and planes on lease from various companies. We bid for UN and governmental contracts. So when we are sounded about any operation, we get going. We get our planes ready and get our systems activated and fly off with relief supplies or armed personnel. We are known in the world for rapid deployment of aircraft during emergency and aid missions.''

Because of the need for rapid delivery of small packages thanks to the Internet explosion, Babra's group has set up SkyLink Express. SkyLink Express has own aircraft to deliver packages for major courier companies.

In May 2001, SkyLink added yet feather to its cap when it acquired interests in Tourcan Vacations -- which is a well-established Canadian Tour Operator - to set up SkyLink Hollidays to cater to premier and discretionary travelers.

Thanks to this hard-working Indian, SkyLink has grown into a 300-million-plus group today. So much so that the SkyLink profile is today part of school textbooks in Ontario province. "That's was one of the most satifying moments of my life. Also when our plane carrying the holy birs (copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib had landed in Canada,'' Babra had told this correspondent.

And this generous-minded Sikh has never hesitated in paying a part of his earnings to charities. He supports Sick Kids Hospital, and in June 2003 he presented a check for $100,000 to fund de-mining operations in Mozambique.

For a man, who was inspired by Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, there have been many scary moments in his business. "During the Balkan crisis, our copters came under fire, and they suffered more than 400 holes during that operation in 1994.''

But the SkyLink man has always remained undeterred.
He indeed is the SkyMan of SkyLink

The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture received two new additions to its growing fleet of agricultural crop-spraying helicopters at the Baghdad International Airport April 27.

The crop pest eradication program is being run by the MOA and also incorporates the combined efforts of other Iraqi government ministries, Iraqi security forces, Multi-National Division - Baghdad and Multi-National Coalition - Iraq. "(The Iraqi government and Coalition Forces) are working together to provide this campaign," said Dr. Subhi Mansour Al-Jumaili, Iraqi deputy MOA.

SkyLink Arabia, the company contracted to provide the aircraft for MOA’s crop-spraying initiative, currently has four Russian Mi-2 helicopters, with eight fixed-wing aircraft on the way.

The MOA-led initiative mainly targets pests that destroy Iraq’s date palm, wheat and barley crops, said the deputy minister. The purpose is to increase the protection, quantity and quality of these major crops to open up markets for Iraq to export.

The date palm crop is Iraq’s main potential for "a sustainable and viable crop that would help with economic development," said Lt. Col. Harold Owen, a Pine Bluff, Ark., native, who serves as an agricultural program officer, civil military operations, MNC-I.

"This is part of the coalition efforts to assist the government of Iraq, the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers of Iraq as an economic development initiative to help them with their pest control management efforts, so it will improve their crops," said Owen.

The pest eradication program will yield additional side benefits, added Owen. It will assist in establishing a working relationship with the MOA and the farmers at the provincial level. The program will also help build the Iraqi people’s confidence in their government and the MOA.

"It makes me very proud to serve here as a coalition partner, helping both the Iraqi people and the government of Iraq," said Owen.

Other participants in the effort also stated their pride in being part of the multi-national effort. The project helps the people of Iraq and improves its agriculture, said Alanatoli Osotov, helicopter pilot, SkyLink Arabia.

"I will be happy to spray (crops)," the veteran Moldovan pilot said. "I hope to help. We all must help make new life for Iraq."

Story and photos by Spc. Rodney Foliente 4th Inf. Div. PAO