New Brunswick airport prepares for arrival of new airline
The Saint John Airport is preparing for the arrival of a brand new airline, with WestJet’s 'ultra low-fare’ carrier landing at the airport in two weeks' time.
That new carrier combined with Flair, which is already operating flights out of YSJ, is expected to bring a surge in passenger traffic to the terminal soon.
"In the past, typically Air Canada and other carriers were flying relatively small aircrafts, 50 to 75 seats," says president and CEO of the Saint John Airport Alexander Ross. "But Flair and Swoop are going to be flying 200-seat passenger aircrafts."
The expected increase in passengers means a need for more space, which is why renovations are taking place at the airport.
That work includes an expansion of the departure area which will allow about 300 people to fit inside, compared to about 140 currently.
"We’re moving the glass panels that separate it from the rest of the terminal," says Ross.
"We’re going to be moving that back about 14 or 15 feet on both the north and the west side, and that’s going to create about 50 per cent more space in that area for seating."
Meantime, at the Fredericton International Airport, Porter Airlines will be launching a new, non-stop service to downtown Toronto in May.
As the airport projects even more capacity – or seats available – this summer than they saw before the pandemic in 2019, with a nine per cent increase.
"The increased capacity really speaks to the airlines’ confidence in the market," says Kate O’Rourke, the manager of public relations and marketing for the airport.
"So what it means is they’re expecting a really strong summer for travel, so they’re moving their aircrafts around to accommodate that."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Police: 3 killed, including suspected gunman, in Minneapolis shooting
Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead after a shooting Thursday at a Minneapolis apartment complex, police said.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."