Victoria International Airport got a welcome boost to its pandemic-ravaged operations Thursday when a new airline touched down with 70 passengers from Toronto.
The Swoop Airlines jet on a direct flight from Pearson International got a water-cannon salute from YYJ鈥檚 fire trucks. It was the start of two direct flights a week from Toronto for WestJet鈥檚 budget airline 鈥� 颅moving to six a week in August 鈥� and a fitting signal air travel is returning and the aviation 颅sector so vital to the region鈥檚 tourism economy is on the mend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big financial commitment from this airline on Victoria,鈥� Geoff Dickson, chief executive of the Victoria Airport Authority, said Thursday as he welcomed the flight. 鈥淭here are flights to Edmonton and Toronto, and there will be opportunities for other routes in the future.鈥�
Swoop also announced twice weekly flights from Victoria to Las Vegas starting Oct. 31 and weekly flights to Puerto Vallarta starting in November, both pending the federal government鈥檚 decision to open international borders to travel.
Higher vaccination rates and declining COVID cases are positive signs for Victoria鈥檚 airport, which saw passenger traffic fall off a cliff during the pandemic. YYJ had a record two million passengers through the terminal in 2018 and 1.92 million in 2019, but those numbers took a drastic 70% dip in 2020 as the pandemic restricted travel and severed international links.
This year, traffic has ebbed and flowed as variants of the COVID-19 virus kept people close to home, leaving the airport with just a handful of daily flights to and from Kelowna and Prince George, 颅Vancouver, 颅Calgary and occasionally Toronto and Montreal.
Last month, just over 12,000 passengers went through the terminal at YYJ, double from the same month a year ago but only a fraction of the 170,000 in May of 2019.
Dickson expects those numbers to increase as confidence grows in air travel.
鈥淭here is a pent-up demand to travel according to all the polls out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople seem willing to spend that disposable income on increased leisure travel. And I think it will come back quickly because people want to see relatives, friends and family.鈥�
Dickson noted many U.S. airports are already seeing traffic increase to near pre-pandemic levels as air travel rises with vaccination rates.
Bert van der Stege, head of commercial and finance for Swoop, said the airline is supporting the economic recovery of Greater Victoria by offering affordable air travel to Toronto and Edmonton as well as sun destinations this winter.
A one-way flight from 颅Victoria to Toronto, non-stop 颅taking four hours and 颅 25 颅minutes, can be booked for $250, 颅including taxes. To 颅Edmonton, it ranges from $60 to $180, depending on the day.
Meanwhile, direct flights to Toronto are scheduled to resume on a limited basis in July at the Nanaimo Airport.
Dave Devana, president and CEO of Nanaimo Airport, said Air sa国际传媒鈥檚 flights are part of a measured reopening of the economy. He said the flights will boost the Island鈥檚 tourism and hospitality sectors and make it easier for Islanders to visit and host family and friends from Eastern sa国际传媒 via Toronto鈥檚 Pearson International Airport.
鈥淎ir sa国际传媒 is a valued partner that supported Nanaimo Airport during the pandemic and continues to support us during reopening,鈥� Devana said in a statement.
The non-stop flights start July 4. One flight a week is scheduled initially. The schedule may expand in August depending on the reopening plans and success of the vaccination 颅programs in sa国际传媒.
Air sa国际传媒 will resume its service to Calgary starting July 1, with five flights planned per week. The airline鈥檚 Nanaimo services will return on all three routes it served in summer 2019 鈥� to Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.
鈥淎ir access to Vancouver Island is a critical component for the long-term recovery of the tourism industry in our region,鈥� said Anthony Everett, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver Island. 鈥淚t is a positive sign to see a major carrier making this investment in the mid-Island as the restart of travel begins.鈥�
Angela Avery, WestJet executive vice-president, said WestJet continued essential service throughout the pandemic to Comox, Nanaimo and Victoria, and the airline now has a 鈥渃lear reopening plan.鈥�
鈥淲orking from a well-defined starting point has allowed WestJet and Swoop to add six new routes to and from the Island this summer to stimulate travel and directly support the province鈥檚 and the Island鈥檚 safe return of its visitor economy,鈥� she said.
