6 days ago
Opinion: Regional airports are a lifeline that need our support
The future looked bright in June 2014 when Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) opened a glistening new terminal designed to handle 1.5 million passengers a year.
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Soon after, the global price of oil started plunging, sending the local economy into a tailspin. Then in 2020, COVID-19 upended air travel around the world.
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YMM is still struggling to get back to the future. Today, it operates at less than a quarter capacity, serving roughly 350,000 passengers a year. That's 40 per cent fewer than before the pandemic. And yet, the problem is not a lack of demand; it's a dearth of flights at the right time. Fort McMurray's demand for airline tickets is strong.
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It is a familiar story for regional airports across Alberta, and much of the country. Since the pandemic, flight frequencies and total seat capacities have declined as airlines rationalize routes to cope with pilot and aircraft shortages, according to an analysis by InterVISTAS Consulting for the Canadian Airports Council.
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Alberta has been hit harder than most provinces. Flight frequencies at regional airports are down 61 per cent since 2014; seat capacity has dropped 57 per cent. Most concerning is that flights from smaller airports to hub airports in Calgary and Edmonton have been cut significantly, leaving many Albertans with fewer travel options and feeling more disconnected than they've been in years.
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That's unfortunate because now, more than ever, Canadians want to be connected — to the rest of the country and the world. With Canada facing economic and political threats from the U.S., better regional air service is critical.
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Canada's 100 airports are uniquely positioned to help drive economic growth. Linked to eight gateway hubs, dozens of smaller regional airports underpin a vast network that helps move people and goods safely and efficiently across this country's vast land mass.
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Regional airports are 'primary enablers' of resource development, trade, tourism, northern sovereignty and health care, according to the InterVISTAS report. 'Regional air service has the power to transform our national economy, create opportunities for communities that would otherwise not have them, and improve the well-being of all Canadians,' the report concludes.
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Adding just a single regional flight can create as many as 210 jobs and generate $41.2 million in economic output. Multiply that across the entire country, and the benefits would provide a much-needed economic boost during difficult times.
