In January 1989, Mission Air (now Hope Air) began supporting the Ontario Multiple Organ Retrieval and Exchange program, providing on-call backup for transplant team transport when all other air options had been exhausted. That same year, Mission Air reached out to sponsors across the country, and their efforts not only strengthened the organ retrieval program but also raised Mission Air’s national profile.

As Hope Air has evolved to support non-emergent travel, we continue this life-saving legacy. Through our partnership with the Centre for Living Organ Donation at University Health Network (UHN) and UHN Foundation, we help living organ donors and recipients travel safely to Toronto for kidney or liver donation, prioritizing those coming from Northern, remote, or out-of-province communities to provide the most selfless gift.

One living donor, like Trina, PEI resident and mother of two, exemplifies this generosity. With support from Hope Air, she was able to travel from her hometown of Tignish to Toronto for her liver transplant surgery and focus on her recovery, free from financial stress. From pioneering support for transplant transport in 1989 to removing barriers for living donors and recipients today, Hope Air has evolved, but our mission remains the same: helping Canadians reach the care they need, no matter the distance.

Learn more at hopeair.ca