Halifax airport sees more direct international flights

Travelling overseas from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport has typically meant flying to central Canada, only then to fly over the Maritimes en-route to Europe or elsewhere. However, the airport is adding more direct flights to other countries year-round.

“We had 25 international destinations and this year we’re back up to 24. So we’re close and it’s great to see that the airlines are coming to Halifax, they want to be in Halifax and they see that the market is growing,” said Leah Batstone, communications manager for the Halifax International Airport Authority.

On Saturday the airport had its first flight to Bermuda.

“This is a flight that we used to have many years ago and so to have that route back because people the opportunity to visit Bermuda or come here and there are ties between the two areas,” said Batstone.

The airport also has other returning flights through Discover Airlines and Condor, which will fly non-stop to and from Germany.

Icelandair will also soon be providing non-stop service between Halifax and Reykjavik, Iceland.

Many of the direct flights stopped due to the travelling restrictions.

“We saw a lot of those international and U.S. flights stop. There were decisions being made through the pandemic by the airlines to determine where it made sense for them to fly and for a long time, they weren’t allowed,” said Batstone.

The Halifax International Airport Authority expects more direct flights from the city in the future.

“When our air service teams meets with airlines and pitches they should operate in Halifax, growth is certainly something they highlight, but also we’re in a great location, geographically. Flight times are often shorter than if you were to leave from another part of Canada,” said Batstone.

Batstone said more people are flying out of Halifax, and have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“In 2023, our airports served 3.6 million passengers. This year, we’re expecting to be more around four million passengers.”

The airport is expecting a full recovery by 2025 to 2026.

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