Atlantic Canada airport thread

[BlackYear]

Swoop Boeing 737 coming in to YQM Moncton during sunset. This was last month mid April.

[BlackYear]

PALairlines Dash 8 arriving to Moncton YQM. Sunday May 7.

[BlackYear]

Looks like Air Canada Rouge has taken over Moncton YQM. It appears they got rid of the Dash 8 and replaced them with the Rouge Airbus A319. I assume it's because WestJet has discontinued services to Moncton.

Leaving MCT yesterday to Toronto




As you can see the increase Rouge activity at YQM.

[MonctonRad]

Nice pics!

Have you checked out the Moncton Planespotters Facebook group? They're pretty active.

Yes, Moncton has been Rouged. If you like your turboprops, then your only choice is Porter or PAL.

[MonctonRad]

Interesting post from the Canada section:

Originally Posted by Dominion301

Porter have just announced their first non-YYZ jet route: YOW-YVR once daily starting 26JUL23
YVR-YOW 0745-1603
YOW-YVR 1800-1937

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...810997677.html

The scheduled service will connect with Charlottetown, Halifax, Moncton, New York, Toronto-Pearson, Toronto-City and Thunder Bay through Ottawa.

This begs an interesting question. As Porter expands their jet service, will they include jet service to Toronto Pearson from Moncton, or will they just carry on with their current turboprop service to Billy Bishop and to Ottawa, and use Ottawa as the connector for Maritime passenger hoping to fly onwards to western Canada or to the USA?

Porter is buying a whack of Embraer jets so I kinda think we will eventually see service to Toronto Pearson in addition to Billy Bishop and Ottawa, but this may take several years. Even if we see a Pearson service, I don't think that means we will lose Billy Bishop, since one of the principle advantages of flying into Toronto Island is that it is so close to downtown and you can avoid the chaos of Pearson.

[OliverD]

There's also the possibility of service to Saint Hubert starting in 2025.

[DyAm00394]

Passenger numbers improving at Saint John Airport

https://www.country94.ca/2023/05/10/...-john-airport/

“Passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels at the Saint John Airport (YSJ), but officials say it is not for a lack of demand.

“If we had the flights now, we’d be at 2019 levels,” Sandy Ross, president and CEO, said following the airport’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.

Figures presented during the meeting showed more than 149,000 passengers flew through Saint John in 2022, slightly more than expected.

Ross said that was around 55 per cent of the 281,000 passengers they saw in 2019 before the pandemic took hold.

“The big problem we have right now is not actually the number of passengers, it’s actually getting aircraft,” Ross told reporters after the AGM.

“There are many more passengers, many more people who want to fly than there are aircraft to put them on.”

The airport is working with airlines to try and bring in more aircraft, but the supply of planes and crew members is limited, said Ross.

He said Air Canada and Flair Airlines — which offer flights to Toronto and Montreal — will likely be the only air carriers to operate at YSJ this year.

But looking ahead to 2024, Ross said there is at least one other carrier that is interested in coming to Saint John.

And the airport is eying a return to sun destination flights this winter for the first time in a number of years.

“We’re in negotiations with Sunwing to return this year and we’re in discussions with another carrier to provide another sun destination as well,” said Ross.

While Ross expects the airport will hit 70 to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic passenger levels in 2023, he said it could be another year or two after that before they see 280,000 passengers again.

Airport reports small deficit in 2022

As passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels, so does the amount of revenue the airport is bringing in.

That is because about 95 per cent of the airport’s current revenue comes from passenger-related activities.

Audited financial statements presented during Wednesday’s AGM showed YSJ ended 2022 with a 212,000 deficit, an improvement from the 455,000 deficit it had been forecasting.

Revenue was six per cent higher than budgeted at $4.5 million while expenses were around $4.7 million.

Ross said they expect to return to a breakeven operation this year. In fact, the airport is projecting a surplus of $1.8 million in 2023, climbing to $2.9 million by 2027”.

Also Telegraph Journal is reporting that they are looking at moving away from depending on passengers for revenue. There are three lease negotiations underway, in advance stages, for the potential development land around the airport.

[Bishop2047]

Fredericton's annual report was scarce on hard stats for 2022 but did state that the peak months were about 70-80% pre-covid numbers. They were down to 100,000 for 2022 and 2021 from 427,000 in 2019 for context.

https://yfcfredericton.ca/an-active-...annual-report/

Having flown a lot recently out of and back to maritime cities, there is certainly plenty of demand and think that SJ is not alone in the lack of aircraft/staff being the main hindrance to growth currently.

[MonctonRad]

The annual report for Moncton YQM is now out as well:

https://cyqm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2...l-Report-1.pdf

Highlights:

- the airport enters 2023 with confidence and optimism and aims to achieve 90% of the 2019 level of passenger traffic.
- confidence that YQM will return to its pre-pandemic passenger levels in late 2023 or early 2024, a full year ahead of what was anticipated.
- significant infrastructure work will be carried out in 2023, notably the passenger boarding and deplaning apron (Apron VIII) and de-icing pad, to increase capacity and facilitate growth.

- passenger volume in 2022 rebounded to 468,841, which was 70% of pre-pandemic level.
- cargo movements at the airport were 20,500 tonnes, a 1% drop from the previous year. This was due to lingering pandemic restrictions in China which have since been lifted. Kalitta 747s are again frequent visitors at YQM.

Infrastructure and safety improvements in 2022 included:

- installation of Runway End Safety Areas (RESA) to reduce the severity of damage to aircraft overshooting or undershooting the runway.
- acquisition of a new Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicle to allow our Emergency Response Team to respond to emergencies efficiently and to keep our passengers, our airport team, and our flight crews safe.
- a new Snow Blower was also purchased to help keep the runways and airside surfaces clear during the winter.
- with the collaboration of Transport Canada and its National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF), we added a new cargo road connecting Xtreme Cold Storage to the Airfield for smoother, more efficient transportation and better service to our business clients.
- the upper portion of the parking lot was resurfaced, and our parking payment system was upgraded to make your arrival and departure as smooth as possible.

YQM actually ran a profit last year ($800k)

Photo of the new fire truck purchased by the airport last year (CEO Courtney Burns standing in front).

T&T photo

[MonctonRad]

New visitor to YQM last night:


photo found on YQM Airport Spotting Facebook page

China Southern Airlines Boeing 777-200LR picking up a load of lobster before heading to Anchorage on the way to home base in China.

Kalitta Air 747s are frequent visitors to Moncton on the same lobster route, but CSA is new.

[DyAm00394]

Lease negotiations underway for YSJ land development

https://www.country94.ca/2023/05/15/...d-development/

"Announcements are expected soon as the Saint John Airport (YSJ) looks to develop 650 acres of unused land.

Officials unveiled the ambitious plans back in January, saying the land has been divided into four areas.

The largest, about 450 acres, is for a logistics park which could include “air-related service and manufacturing,” along with “freight and logistics operations” and “light industrial.”

In addition, another 105 acres have been set aside for airside development, including the potential for air cargo operations.

The airport is also proposing to add more amenities such as a hotel, food and beverage services and covered parking.

There is also a piece of land in the area of Loch Lomond Road and the Airport Arterial Road for additional “local services” such as a gas station and convenience store.

Following the airport’s annual general meeting last week, president and CEO Sandy Ross said three lease negotiations are well underway.

“It’s pretty certain we’ll have a couple of announcements in the next few months about some commercial services that we’re going to get going,” Ross told reporters, adding they hope to break ground before the year is out.

The redevelopment plans come as Transport Canada recently extended the airport’s land lease through the year 2079.

Ross said the airport is in the process of getting a revised and new land lease plan to the federal agency, which is the first step in the process.

The airport president said developing the land will diversify their revenue streams, which is one of their four goals.

With 95 per cent of the airport’s current revenue coming from passenger-related activities, Ross said they are looking for more consistent sources of funding.

“Nobody ever imagined a world where all the passengers would go away, but when they did go away [during COVID], the revenue went with them,” he said.

“Transport Canada has been very straightforward with Saint John and other airports that a strategy in the next few years should be to harden your finances against those types of circumstances and tof find new revenue streams.”

In the long term, Ross said the additional revenue will allow the airport to lower its passenger fees, which are currently at $42.

It will also give the airport an opportunity to attract new airlines and routes to Saint John, he said.

“A lot of airlines that operate are expecting incentives or some sort of risk deferral options — in other words, cash in one form or another — in order to start new airline services,” said Ross.

“The thinking is that the revenue we’ll make as a function of the land could be used to underwrite new routes and new carriers coming to YSJ.”

Ross has said the full build-out of the development-ready land is likely at least 10 years out".

[Feneant]

I caught something on the radio this morning about having a flight back to the US like we used to. It wasn't definitive or even close to it, but when you consider how much the city has grown and all the immigration, I think it would make sense for the city to get a flight back to NYC as a hub for travel across the US. It would certainly beat driving to Halifax or going through Montreal...

[MonctonRad]

That is an aspirational goal of YQM (as noted in the annual report), but, there is nothing new to report on this matter. Talks are ongoing (as they have been for years).

[DyAm00394]

A heads up for anyone who booked flights with WestJet or Swoop.

Hundreds of WestJet pilots ready to strike, airline threatens lock-out.

“ If you have a flight booked with Westjet or Swoop, you might want to re-think the trip.

Hundreds of pilots have given 72-hour strike notice, and that means they could hit the picket lines just before the long weekend.

“After nine months of negotiating, management still fails to understand current labour market conditions, leading to a mass exodus of our pilots in search of better work opportunities, and more will follow if this agreement does not meet our pilots’ needs,” said Captain Bernard Lewall, chair of the WestJet ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). “Without the economic and job security improvements our pilots require, WestJet will be parking planes, as they will not have enough pilots to operate them or accomplish its own growth strategy.”

As of 3:00 a.m. ET on May 19, the WestJet pilots plan to begin lawful job action, which could include grounding all aircraft and effectively shutting down operations.

The airline has responded by threatening to lock-out its pilots if a deal is not reached. Westjet is already preparing for the worst case scenario, and will offer flexible change and cancel options if you’re having second thoughts.

Both sides have been negotiating since September.

The issues in the dispute include pay, scheduling, and job security”.

https://www.country94.ca/2023/05/16/...tens-lock-out/

[theshark]

Northern Municipalities are pitching in to keep the Bathurst airport afloat. Air Canada has to bring back daily flights and change the flight schedule back to early morning departure. A late afternoon departure is the worst time for connecting flights. Lack of pilots was the excuse given by Air Canada not to return to daily flights. Any one knows if the situation is stabilizing or getting better?

[Colouratura]

Originally Posted by theshark

Northern Municipalities are pitching in to keep the Bathurst airport afloat. Air Canada has to bring back daily flights and change the flight schedule back to early morning departure. A late afternoon departure is the worst time for connecting flights. Lack of pilots was the excuse given by Air Canada not to return to daily flights. Any one knows if the situation is stabilizing or getting better?

There is still a major problem across the country with lack of pilots. To make it worse, the US also has a shortage and is poaching pilots from Canada.

[MonctonRad]

From, the Canada section airport thread:

Today was PD's inaugural YYG-YOW flight and they simultaneously announced today that the route is going to be year-round instead of summer seasonal.

In winter the flight will operate daily. In summer's shoulder periods, the flight is operating 11x weekly and in peak summer, the route is twice daily.

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...860525759.html

YYG = Charlottetown BTW.

[theshark]

Atlantic Air charters just announced on Facebook that they will be hosted by the Bathurst airport for the summer months, not sure if this means a temporary relocation or just offering more charter services but whatever it is is good for the airport!

[MonctonRad]

WestJet has apparently just upped the frequency of their Moncton/Calgary service to 6x weekly. Moncton/Edmonton stays at 2x weekly.

In addition, they have increased Charlottetown/Calgary to 5x weekly, and Charlottetown/Edmonton to 2x weekly.

Finally, St. John's/Calgary is going to 9x weekly and St. John's/Edmonton is going to 6x weekly.

[MonctonRad]

From the Canada section:

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

DEVELOPING: Swoop to be fully integrated into Westjet by October 2024

Source: City News

An agreement between WestJet and the union representing its pilots could mean the end of the budget airline Swoop.
Multiple sources tell CityNews one of the terms of the agreement between the airline and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is that Swoop must be fully integrated into WestJet by October 2024.
In a statement to CityNews, WestJet said because the agreement is not ratified, the finals terms can’t be discussed.

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/05/...swoop-sources/

_________

To be honest, If this is the case, I wouldn't be surprised. But this could be an impactful blow to YHM where swoop is a predominant player. Westjet only did a handful of flights from YHM prior to swoop, mainly in retaliation to Flair/Newleaf.

If this is true, what will this mean for the five Atlantic Canadian cities that Swoop flies into (Moncton, Halifax, Charlottetown, Deer Lake & St. John's)?

- Will integration mean that the planes will be used to bolster WestJets core base in the west?
- Will the planes be used for WestJet Vacations charter business to the south?
- Will WestJet maintain current routes flown by Swoop, but under their WestJet banner?

Lots of questions..........