Southern Alberta cities, province try to tempt air carriers as WestJet ends service
Southern Alberta cities, province try to tempt air carriers as WestJet ends service
Southern Alberta cities, province try to tempt air carriers as WestJet ends service
Alberta government offers $5M to boost regional routes
Medicine Hat airport officials contacted almost two dozen smaller airlines in hopes of replacing WestJet flights that are set to end this week.
Now, they'll have to wait for the results of a provincial call for proposals to support regional air routes.
"This conversation is just much more than flights; it's actually the future opportunity for this part of our region," said Medicine Hat city councillor Yusuf Mohammed, who chairs a city hall committee that oversees the municipal airport as well as economic development.
"The airport is an asset. Air service is very important to us, and I think the province recognizes that."
A request for expressions of interest published by the province calls on air carriers to suggest how they would further a "connectivity" effort to boost traffic between regional centres across the province and major airports in Calgary and Edmonton.
According to documents, Alberta would be willing to spend up to $5 million over two years for this effort.
It comes as Calgary-based national and international carrier WestJet closes routes to Medicine Hat and Lethbridge on Wednesday.
Announced in February as a money-saving measure, the decision by WestJet ends the only scheduled air passenger service to the southern Alberta cities.
For the first time in decades, residents of both cities will not be able to fly directly out of their hometowns either to the larger cities or to meet connecting flights.
Travellers feel stranded
Air travellers in both cities have always weighed the time and cost of driving to Calgary to meet connecting flights against flying out locally, but cities and local business groups have tried to make the case for expanded service leading to better uptake.
WestJet provided one round trip per day to each city, landing in Medicine Hat before 9 a.m.
That suited Denise Yeast, who arrived back in the Hat on a Monday in time for work after a weekend visit with her grandkids.
"It's tough to run a business these days, but we are a large enough city … you think we could manage it," she told CBC News after picking up her bag at the terminal in Medicine Hat.
Other Hatters said the loss of flight service hurts civic pride.
"We are proud to be Hatters, and to have an airport where people can flow in and out easily is important," said Bronwyn Watson, who was at the airport to greet family coming in from Australia.
Their one-hour connecting flight to the Hat helped her avoid a six-hour round trip by car to pick them up after a long international trip.
Medicine Hat airport manager Logan Boyd said surveys show the public sees passenger flights as a key service, even though most activity at the airport isn't commercial air travel.
Cities update plans, engage smaller carriers
Both Medicine Hat and Lethbridge's regional airports are now updating their master plans, officials told CBC News.
"We're optimistic that there will be something [on passenger service] in the future," Lethbridge airport manager Cameron Prince told reporters this month.
"We're just not sure what the timeline will be for that, because the airline network planning does take a lot of time."
The other side, said Prince, is to boost other operations — such as non-commercial flights, personal aircraft use and land development at the facility — to maintain activity while a new carrier is found.
Fixed-wing medical flights, a regional helicopter rescue service and a flight school are based at the Medicine Hat airport. The city is also hoping to attract new aerospace and defence industry to the city.
But Boyd isn't giving up hope of attracting a "right-sized" carrier to serve the city of 69,000 and the surrounding region.
"We're a ready and willing partner," said Boyd. "We're selling this region, our airport and selling this market, and Hatters deserve good, reliable, quality air service."
Medicine Hat upgraded its terminal in 2014 as part of a campaign to draw a second carrier to compete against Air Canada regional service.
In June 2018, WestJet began flights to a regional hub in Calgary, but Air Canada closed its route in early 2020.
After a lull in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, WestJet upgraded to larger planes with more seats on the route, but reduced flights to once daily.
City officials state demand has returned, but costs have risen across the industry, putting stress on regional routes around the country.
About 60 per cent of Medicine Hat airport revenue is tied to WestJet's operations, and now a near-$500,000 annual deficit is predicted.
Prince told reporters that a similar drop in revenue in Lethbridge could be made up by reducing services no longer needed without larger passenger flights coming in.
WestJet declined an opportunity to comment.
Province now reaching out to carriers
Local officials are now awaiting the results of a provincial call out to air carriers across the continent to expand or begin operating regional routes in Alberta. The request for proposals closes on July 6.
Premier and Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Danielle Smith described a similar idea during a Chamber of Commerce event in Medicine Hat in 2024. Her speech touched not only on the local airport but all mid-sized cities, including Lethbridge, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray.
Last year, mandate letters to the transportation and jobs ministries called on them to jointly work on "connectivity … between Alberta’s regional and international airports."
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The Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors did not comment on the potential program, but told CBC News earlier this month that WestJet's decision to end the routes was "disappointing."
"Our government is reviewing options," read an emailed response. "Southern Alberta will remain connected, and we will continue working with partners to support practical transportation options that serve residents, businesses, and our growing economy."
Online link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/westjet-regional-service-ends-medicine-hat-lethbridge-9.7246165