Pivot Airlines moving its headquarters to Waterloo Region

A Pivot Airlines plane can be seen. (Pivot Airlines/Facebook)

Pivot Airlines is moving its base of operations to Waterloo Region.

During her State of the Region address on Tuesday, Chair Karen Redman announced the relocation to The Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) as of June 1.

“This move underscores the economic vitality surrounding YKF and highlights the availability of experienced local maintenance personnel. We envision YKF not only as a transportation hub connecting residents and visitors to important moments but also as a dynamic center of economic activity. The partnership with Pivot Airlines exemplifies this vision in action……contributing to job creation and further economic development in our region,” she said.

According to the airline’s website, it is currently headquartered at Pearson International Airport.

The airline made headlines in 2022 when five crew members were jailed for nine days in the Dominican Republic after they alerted authorities to millions of dollars worth of cocaine found on their plane. They were later put on house arrest in the foreign country.

The crew members said they found 200 packages of cocaine on an aircraft heading for Toronto while they were grounded at the Punta Cana airport.

Pilot Rob DiVenanzo from Guelph, who was part of that crew, is now suing the RCMP, federal government, and the airline for $16 million dollars. He said he continues to suffer significant physical, emotional, and psychological harm stemming from the incident after he was stranded in the Dominican Republic for almost eight months.