The roots of Transwest Air are set deep in Saskatchewan aviation history. It was created through a merger between Athabaska Airways and Air Sask (La Ronge Aviation). Athabaska's founder, Floyd Glass, established his airline in 1955 in Prince Albert with just one aircraft, a single-engine Cessna 180. Athabaska enjoyed steady growth in its early years, adding an average of two aircraft every year for the next 20 years. This included a helicopter division added in the early 1960s, and the first twin-engine aircraft, a Cessna 310, in 1964. Floyd passed away in 1999, and his eldest son Jim took over as General Manager. La Ronge Aviation was formed in 1960 by Pat Campling Sr. with his wife Shirley, and prospector Russ Aronec. It also began operations with just one Cessna 180 and grew steadily. In August of 2000, the general managers of these two companies, Jim Glass and Patrick Campling Jr., merged their companies into a new airline whose fleet, service, and experience are unparalleled in Saskatchewan. With five decades of history, Transwest Air remains Saskatchewan owned and operated. The company offers both rotary and fixed-wing charter services, and has the largest scheduled service network in Saskatchewan. Transwest Air is also one of the largest independent air carriers in Canada.