The inaugural flight from Flair Airlines took off Wednesday morning.
The flight, heading to Vancouver, then Victoria, is part of a new partnership that provides direct flights from Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM).
President and CEO of the Wood Buffalo Economic Development Corporation (WBEDC), Kevin Weidlich said having direct flights to Toronto and Vancouver means a lot after recently losing that connectivity.
He said the partnership is a step forward in the region’s economic recovery.
RJ Steenstra, president & CEO of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority echoed Weidlich in saying the move has created employment opportunities locally.
“When travellers fly, they are supporting thousands of jobs and businesses at the airport. They are also supporting the tourism and hospitality sector which employs thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands.”
Not only does it connect Fort McMurray residents with direct flights, Steenstra said they’re also working with the WBEDC to bring people to Fort McMurray.
“We have amazing travel and tourism product up here and we’re going to be working hard to get people to understand that.”
He added that the partnership shows confidence in the market and could lead to other airlines looking at more flights out of YMM.
Chair of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority Board of Directors Mike Chwelos said that YMM loses over 220,000 trips a year due to people choosing to fly with other airports in Alberta.
He explained this happens due to direct flight options, access to low cost air service in other markets, and access to retail experiences in larger centres.
“Our new vision is focused on retaining our local customer and reducing the leakage to these other airports.”
He said YMM aims to become Northern Alberta’s airport of choice in the next five years.
Flair Airlines is the first low-cost airline to service Fort McMurray and Vice President Service Delivery and Airports with Flair Airlines John Mullins said Flair is “110 per cent all in-in.”
“Now that we’re in, it’s going to be tough as heck to get us out.”
The inaugural flight, which landed from Toronto, was at about 80 per cent capacity heading to British Columbia.
The current flight schedule runs Wednesdays and Saturdays.
It arrives in Fort McMurray then heads to Vancouver and Victoria before returning to Vancouver, Fort McMurray then Toronto.
Steenstra said the next task for the Airport Authority is getting Fort McMurray residents service to sunny destinations.
