A struggling Prince George Airport was delivered a glimmer of hope this week when WestJet said it will be increasing its service between Prince George and Vancouver to three times daily for the month of August.
It's still a far cry from the five-times daily the major carriers were providing at the same point last year.
"Yes, we're seeing a few more people traveling, which is a good sign, but it's nowhere near where we were before COVID," said Prince Airport Authority spokeswoman Lindsay Cotter.
Starting August 4, WestJet's flights out of Prince George will leave at 7 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. and return flights will leave Vancouver at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Currently, the service is twice daily.
WestJet indicated a cautious approach to resuming full service.
"We are monitoring our guests loads carefully to ensure we are managing our airline and the health of our guests and crew responsibly and will adjust the schedule accordingly should it be required," WestJet spokesperson Morgan Bell said.
Air Canada will continue to provide twice-daily service, leaving Prince George at 9:40 a.m. and 2:50 p.m. and leaving Vancouver at 7:50 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Central Mountain Air resumed limited service on July 7, flying three days a week to Kamloops, Kelowna, Terrace-Kitimat and Fort St. John.
Pacific Coastal, which had been providing direct flights to Victoria, is not expected to resume flights out of Prince George until the fall but has opened a small call centre at the airport.
According to the PGAA's 2019 annual report, released last week the airport drew 496,714 passengers, down 9,770 from the year before. The airport finished the year with a $1.5-million operating surplus, rising to $3.8 million once such items as the net total from the airport improvement fee are taken into account.
But it has been a different picture so far this year.
"The COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted aviation especially harshly," PGAA CEO Gordon Duke said during the PGAA's annual general meeting. He predicted it will take three to five years before passenger levels will return to the level seen in 2019.
Less than 2,000 passengers passed through the airport in each of April and May, less than five per cent of the totals seen for the same months last year.
He said the airport is seeking support from various levels of government and that it will play a key role in kickstarting the local economy once the pandemic has subsided.
