City, airport face challenging recovery with Air Canada service suspension in Kamloops

Passenger numbers at the Kamloops Airport were down by 86 per cent last month compared to December of 2019. Managing Director Ed Ratuski says the loss of the Kamloops-to-Vancouver route could extend the airport’s recovery time.

“We were planning on being into a significant recovery mode this summer and moving forward,” Ratuski said. “I think in the industry in general, that’s where they’re seeing with this second wave that the initial recovery is going to be a lot longer than initially planned.”

This is yet another blow to the struggling tourism industry.

“This time of year, traditional leisure travel is not at its peak,” said Monica Dickinson, director of industry relations and communications with Tourism Kamloops, “however our partners at Sun Peaks definitely feel the effects of the disappearance of this flight and what it means to bring visitors to the mountain resort. Overall, the people that use that Air Canada flight, especially from the corporate travel side of things and our business travel market, it’s a big impact.”

Air Canada says the move to suspend flights out of Kamloops was prompted by “stifled demand from ongoing travel restrictions and blanket quarantine rules.”

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar says vacating the market was unnecessary.

“We get that there’s low load factor across the service level, but if they’re flying at eight per cent load factors in Kamloops, surely they could have found another low occupancy route somewhere else and kept that minimal service in Kamloops so that it will be that much easier as COVID numbers start to improve and as travel starts to improve,” he said.

Milobar and Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone spoke with Air Canada Tuesday (Jan. 12) to voice their disappointment. Milobar says Air Canada has a habit of making cuts and then making it difficult for other air carriers to fill the gap.

“Air Canada has a track record in this community, unfortunately, if we are fortunate to get a smaller carrier in, Air Canada jumps back in with really cheap fares and makes it almost impossible for that air carrier to compete, they leave town and then our fares go back up,” Milobar said.

Ratuski says the airport has been in conversation with other carriers.

“We are talking with some carriers now about possibly filling that void, but again, the entire industry is in a state right now where it’s not just like someone picks up where somebody left off because all airlines are impacted by the pandemic.”

Ratuski is optimistic about Air Canada’s future return to Kamloops. Christian, however, has less faith in the airline.

“They’re really not a national carrier anymore, they’re really looking at the bottom line and that disappoints me,” Christian said.

“But, if that’s the way it’s going to be then we’re going to look for a new partner.”

by Jill Sperling

City, airport face challenging recovery with Air Canada service suspension in Kamloops

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