Improvements to Regional Air Service

Issue: 

The Regional Airports in Alberta are left to primarily rely on a single air service provider for passenger flights. This situation imposes several barriers to increasing load capacity for flights, including airfare premiums; wait times for connecting flights; flight frequency; flight consistency and reliability; limited destination options. 

Background: 

Since 2019 regional air service suffered significant declines, serving approximately 35% of its peak traffic from 2019. Issues such as inconsistent and unreliable flights, long connection times, and reduced flight frequency have caused passengers to opt for the main travel hubs in Calgary or Edmonton instead. 

Our Recommendations

1. Aggressively pursue alternate options for increased flight frequency, improved connectivity,  service reliability, and the introduction or reintroduction of flight services in regional airports; and, 
2. Create a funding pool to support regional air carriers if passenger load factors or revenues do not meet minimum targets. This funding would help stabilize regional air service and connectivity, ensuring regional Airports can better serve its catchment area until such time that the load capacity can increase for business and personal travel.