1 and Air Georgian completed a joint venture through the creation of a parent company, Regional Express Aviation Ltd. (REAL), based in Calgary, Alberta and then rebranded under the name of R1 Airlines Ltd. Its new ownership structure gives the subsidiary additional clout in both the domestic and international aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) business charter markets. One of the immediate benefits delivered through the launch of REAL was Air Georgian's 15-strong fleet of Beech 1900D turboprops, which are now being offered by R1 on both new and existing ACMI contracts in addition to its regular scheduled work for Air Canada. Through its links with Air Georgian and Avmax, R1 Airlines now has access to the world's largest private fleet of Dash 8 and CRJs, while the addition of the 18-seat Beech 1900Ds mean it can now serve far smaller markets that had been inaccessible to its larger types. The arrangement also provides more than $100 million in spare parts and domestic maintenance bases in Halifax, Montreal, Kingston, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. International deployments are supported through Avmax facilities in Great Falls, Montana, Jacksonville, Florida, Nairobi, Kenya and N’djamena, Chad. References Regional airlines of Alberta Airlines established in 2003