Sunshine Flights From Moncton Cancelled Again This Winter
MONCTON–Travellers dreaming of warm and sunny destinations this winter will be disappointed to hear that direct flights out of the Greater Moncton Romeo LeBlanc International Airport (YQM) have been cancelled for the second year in a row.
Airport CEO Bernard LeBlanc says the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and related travel advisories are just part of the equation.
“Our airports in New Brunswick still aren’t permitted by the federal government to accommodate international flights. So that may have made the airlines a bit hesitant to continue to operate if they weren’t guaranteed that they could.”
Halifax and St. John’s, Newfoundland are currently the only two airports in Atlantic Canada allowed to have international flights.
Prior to the pandemic, LeBlanc says about 52,000 passengers took advantage of sunshine flights out of YQM, operated by Sunwing and Air Transat, each year.
The airlines were scheduled to have 11 flights per week to destinations in Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
LeBlanc believes the airport will lose about $1-million in related passenger fees, landing fees, parking, and other revenue.
Unlike many airports its size, LeBlanc adds late winter and spring is actually the busiest time of year for YQM.
He notes how that activity helps offset additional costs in the winter such as snow clearing and de-icing planes.
Allan Dearing is a reporter with 91.9 The Bend in Moncton, a Huddle content partner.