Passenger traffic taking off at Atlantic Canada's airports after COVID-19 slump
Airlines are resuming flights across Atlantic Canada to meet pent-up demand as COVID-19 infections drop and travel restrictions ease.
"There are people who have not seen their family in over a year and people who haven't taken their vacation," Johanne Gallant, president of the Fredericton International Airport Authority, said Monday as she welcomed the inaugural flight by PAL Airlines from St. John's, N.L.
"It's so great to see carriers such as PAL Airlines coming into our airport," she told reporters. "WestJet started this weekend and we've got Air Canada coming back."
Activity is also picking up at the largest airport in the region, Halifax Stanfield International Airport, which had hosted 17 airlines serving 46 destinations prior to the pandemic, but that fell to two airlines serving four destinations because of COVID-19.
Marie Manning, the airport's vice-president of business development, said the drop in business has had a dramatic impact on the airport's finances. "We continue to operate on borrowed funds," she said in an interview Monday. "It required us to go out and get new financing to continue to support our operations throughout the duration of the pandemic."
But Manning said the number of domestic flights to and from Halifax is starting to increase. "In July, we will double the number of daily flights in the schedule," she said. "We will go from an average of nine in June to 18 in July, and then a significant increase in August to 55 daily flights, on average."
Manning said she's anxious to get some direction from the federal government on international routes. Currently, only four airports in Canada can accept international flights; they are located in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
The Charlottetown Airport was down to just one flight per day over the last nine months, flying between Charlottetown and Montreal. But Doug Newson, CEO of the Charlottetown Airport, said Air Canada has resumed flights to Toronto and last week, WestJet returned.
"Both Air Canada and WestJet will gradually ramp up their frequency to Toronto and Montreal as travel restrictions become more favourable for more travel to Prince Edward Island," he said in an interview Monday.
"WestJet announced late last week they will be adding two weekly flights to Calgary at the end of July," he added. PAL Airlines and Flair will also begin flying into Charlottetown later this summer.
Peter Avery, CEO of the airport in St. John's, N.L., said passenger levels at his airport were down 75 per cent last year over 2019 levels, but have begun to rebound with the announcement of the province's reopening plan and the resumption of the Atlantic travel bubble.
Avery, however, said he expects the recovery to take years. "We still predict it will be 2024 or 2025, and it will come down to people's willingness to travel based on vaccination rates and how comfortable they feel travelling," he said in an interview Monday.
In Fredericton, Gallant said that while she knows some people will be hesitant to travel, there is pent-up demand from others who need to see family and friends. "We are seeing some flights that are booking up very quickly," she said. "And we saw that in other countries that started opening a bit earlier. There is a demand for travel."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.