Many Maritime communities are competing to attract new airlines and improve air service, but that doesn’t necessarily mean big air carriers; there is also a flourishing charter aircraft industry in the region.
Klaus Sonnenberg has spent the last three decades flying in and out of his home island of Grand Manan, N.B., including an air ambulance service. He is now operating a jet-powered twin prop out of Saint John.
“You know, over the last 32 years, we’ve concentrated on more of a local area and we’ve tried to provide services more appropriate for the region. This kind of aircraft is more suited for long distances,” says Sonnenberg.
The arrival of the aircraft is creating some buzz within the local aviation community.
“I get phone calls all the time for charters, business travel, tours, international and domestic, so this is a fantastic contribution to the city of Saint John,” says Stacey Richards of the Atlantic Flight Centre.
Passenger numbers using the Saint John Airport were up significantly last year, but Air Canada is the only major carrier to regularly fly in and out of Saint John.
Charter flights aren’t necessarily budget flights - taking a nine-seat plan to Toronto Island costs about $9,000 – but they do work for some.
“If you have a larger business group that is all going to the same destination and on the same schedule, in some cases it may make sense, both from a timing point of view, when you leave and depart, and in some cases, from a cost point of view,” says Gary Howard of CAA Travel.
Home base for the new plane is the Atlantic Flight Centre.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
