The City of Quesnel Airport – a proactive approach

 Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

The City of Quesnel is taking a proactive approach in light of the recently announced schedule for Central Mountain Air (CMA) flights. In early April, CMA cancelled all its flights because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  They implemented a reduced schedule in July with service to a limited number of airports in the Province.  CMA is gradually expanding service but recently notified the City that flights are not expected to resume at the Quesnel Regional Airport until at least February 2021.

“The City of Quesnel is committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure the viability of our airport throughout this pandemic and beyond,” said Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson.  “Staff were directed by Council in the spring to reduce operating costs wherever possible and more recently staff were directed to work closely with our Economic Development department to attract more air traffic and new business opportunities to the Airport.”

“While commercial flights are currently not scheduled at the airport, fuel sales remained strong in August, the forestry firebase has doubled in size this year, and we have seen a substantial increase in private and charter flights,” said Jon Pucek, Airport & Transit Supervisor with the City of Quesnel.  Pucek further noted that the City plans to scale back its winter operations due to the absence of scheduled flights but advises that the runway will remain open daily for private charters, recreational aircraft, and Air Ambulance services, which is an invaluable lifesaving service in the region.  

“We are reducing operating costs where we can but many of our expenses are fixed because of the requirement to comply with Transport Canada regulations,” Pucek said.

“The situation in Quesnel is not unique,” stated Mayor Simpson.  “The impact that COVID-19 has had on regional airports across the country is substantial.   The City has supported the Regional Community Airports of Canada (RCAC) organization who have been lobbying senior levels of government for financial assistance since the start of the pandemic. As many other regional airports are facing the same situation, we remain optimistic about the future of our airport and will continue to prove our resilience during these challenging times.”