The federal government has granted the Prince George Airport Authority a 10-month exemption from paying its rent as it struggles with declining traffic due to the novel corona virus.
PGAA CEO Gordon Duke said it typically amounts to $25,000 a month but varies with the amount of revenue the airport takes in. That has dropped by about 85 per cent and should translate into about $80,000 in savings on rent over the term of the exemption.
Duke said the PGAA appreciates the break but more needs to be done.
"Airports are an essential service and looking ahead to the recovery phase, airports are a very key part of that recovery for the economy," Duke said. "So we keep the airport open, we keep it safe, we keep it secure, and there's a cost to that."
He said steps are being taken to make ends meet.
"We've eliminated all of our discretionary spend for the remainder of the year," Duke said. "We've taken a look at all of our capital spend and moved whatever we can into next year. If it's safety or security or operations, we've kept it in there...but anything else has been moved."
