Lease deferral agreement with the federal government for the land the airport in Gander sits on expires in 2016.
From his office overlooking the runway at Gander International Airport, Reg Wright can see all flights in and out of his corner of Newfoundland. But in recent years, those plane spottings have been fewer and farther between.While Canada's total domestic passenger numbers now hover at around pre-COVID levels, air travel to smaller communities and even medium-sized cities has withered.
Driving the travel rebound is a surge along big-city routes. Flight volumes rose 19 per cent for Vancouver-Montreal, 12 per cent for Toronto-Vancouver, 10 per cent for Calgary-Vancouver and a whopping 51 per cent for Ottawa-Calgary over the past five years, according to figures provided to The Canadian Press by aviation data firm Cirium.
Meanwhile, fares on flights linking those city pairs rose 54 per cent, 16 per cent and 173 per cent, respectively, according to Cirium."If you're in the Yukon and you need to travel to Vancouver for your medical appointments, these are the essential roles … whether it's fighting fires, moving health-care workers, even getting food on our grocery store shelves," said airports council president Monette Pasher.
The 30 biggest airports in Canada have seen passenger capacity return to 98 per cent of 2019 levels on average, according to the Canadian Airports Council. The next 30 are at barely 70 per cent. During the pandemic, carriers took the opportunity to streamline their fleet by ditching older planes in favour of newer, bigger ones. The fresher aircraft are more efficient, as are business models that operate fewer flights and carry more passengers over longer distances.
In Cape Breton, residents now have to go through Montreal or Toronto if they want to fly to Halifax after both airlines cut back from a combined 240 flights per month to zero. Other experts say more direct support for regional flights is needed, pointing south of the border. The U.S. Essential Air Service program ensures scheduled flights to hundreds of small communities by subsidizing air service that would otherwise not be profitable enough for carriers, which bid on the contracts.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest is down to lowest level since 2016, government saysBRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday.
Read more »
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest is down to lowest level since 2016, government saysDeforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday. It's the largest reduction since 2016, when officials began using the current method of measurement.
Read more »
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rain forest is down to lowest level since 2016, government saysIn the past 12 months, the Amazon rain forest lost 4,300 square kilometers of land, roughly the size of Rhode Island, yet it is a nearly 46 per cent decrease compared to the previous period
Read more »
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest is down to lowest level since 2016, government saysBRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday.
Read more »
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest is down to lowest level since 2016, government saysBRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday.
Read more »
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest is down to lowest level since 2016, government saysBRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday.
Read more »