Air Canada suspends all Saint John flights, some Moncton trips

The Saint John Airport will have no more flights arriving and departing as of Monday as Air Canada suspends more New Brunswick flights.

Saint John Airport director of Commercial Development, Jacques Fournier said Wednesday that Air Canada suspended a flight to and from Montreal effective Friday. As of Monday, April 6, the last two remaining flights to and from Halifax will also be suspended. The suspensions are a response to stay-at-home directives from public health to stop the spread of COVID-19 infections.

"People are not flying right now, so it's a little hard to justify for the airlines to put capacity in all the smaller airports," Fournier said.

Fournier said the terminal will not shut down. He said layoffs are on the table, but "not in the near future."

"There will definitely at some point be a need for [layoffs]," he said. "If this lasts six months then it's a definite possibility but it all depends how long it lasts." 

He said "no one seems to have a really good grasp" of how long the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting travel restrictions will last, which is adding to the uncertainty around the airport operations.

He said if the travel restrictions remain long-term, lasting more than a few months, "everyone at the airport," is at risk, from people in administration to people who clean runways and electricians.

"It will not just affect one sector," he said.

The airport previously had three flights a day to Toronto's Pearson Airport, three to Montreal, one flight to downtown Toronto and one flight to Cuba. Those have all been previously suspended.

Air Canada will revisit the Halifax flights in early May, Fournier said. In the past few days, he's seen those flights come in with as few as one or two passengers, he said.

Moncton flight reduction

Bernard LeBlanc, CEO and president of the Moncton airport, said Air Canada also suspended two flights to Montreal and back. The airport now has two flights a day to Halifax, and one to Toronto.

He said from what he's seeing in other regions, it appears Air Canada is centralizing air service to capital cities.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens here [as in Saint John]," he said, but Air Canada hasn't confirmed any more suspensions.

LeBlanc said Air Canada has offered no timeline for flight restoration. Most Air Canada flights suspended in other parts of the country are effective until April 30.

Fredericton flights

Johanne Gallant, the chief executive officer of the Fredericton International Airport, said the airport still has two flights to Montreal, two to Halifax and one to Toronto. Multiple other flights have previously been suspended, she said.

"This has a tremendous impact on the airport," she said. "We're losing potentially over 70 per cent of our revenue ... we've made some major cuts into our operating budgets and we're deferring capital projects."

She said the construction project which began last year is still ongoing.

She said the airport is asking the federal government for support.

"We're still asking the federal government to provide us some assistance to get through this crisis," she said.

"If we receive one flight a day or two versus 15 a day, it's the same overhead cost," she said. "Because we have to stay safe. We have to maintain the runways. We have security. So you know we have a high fixed cost so therefore we need support."