Raising fees will increase airfares and hurt an industry that hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic, says Sault Ste. Marie Airport CEO Terry Bos
Airports did their part during the height of the pandemic to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, the senior management at four northern Ontario airports are asking the federal government to return the favour and continue to support them while the sector recovers.
The letter calls on Canada’s ministers of Tourism, FEDNOR and Transportation to ensure airports have the funding needed to continue recovering after the effects of the pandemic. It follows similar letters penned by provincial and national bodies that oversee airports in Canada. Airports across the country received two years of funding through the Regional Air Transportation Initiative to assist in keeping them afloat when traffic levels hit a standstill.
The entire airline industry and all of its players had to rapidly contract to survive the pandemic, Bos said two years of funding was not enough to do everything that needed to be done to foster a full recovery. “We use a lot of fuel to plow and maintain runways and our roads,” said Bos. “The inflation has been a factor in our industry, just as it has with everyone else.”
“Some of the larger airports have seen their numbers come back, but a lot of the regional airports are still hurting, he added.
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