New Brunswick is co-chairing a federal-provincial committee along with Transport Canada to examine the economic recovery of the air sector.
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson Jim Doyle has told officials at the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport that provincial DTI minister Jill Green co-chairs the group which has been meeting since February to determine any gaps to a full recovery.
“We’re looking at it from all sides of the air sector and we’re looking to ensure that… especially in the region… that the recovery comes back to where we were in 2019 and to get there as soon as possible.”
Doyle recognized that the industry will need both federal and provincial help to recover.
“The best minds in prognosticating on COVID say that the air sector is going to take – on the best end – three years to five years for recovery… and we’re hoping that it’s sooner than that.”
For months during the pandemic, the Greater Moncton Airport has been the only one in New Brunswick with scheduled flights.
That will change this coming week with the Saint John Airport set to see its first commercial flights since mid-January.
Air Canada is scheduled to make its first departure on Wednesday followed by Flair Airlines on Friday.
The Saint John Airport saw its passenger volumes drop by more than 70 per cent last year.
In 2019, the airport saw more than 291,000 passengers while in 2020 it saw just over 59,000 passengers.
