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Tag: Kamloops YKA

  • Passenger volumes at Kamloops Airport remain low in first three months of 2021

    From Radio NL 650AM – link to source story

    Victor Kaisar | Apr 21, 2021

    Passenger volumes at Kamloops Airport remain low in first three months of 2021

    A slow start to the year for Kamloops Airport with just 8,628 passengers in the first three months of 2021.

    That is compared to 91,638 passengers during the same three months last year, though there were no COVID-19 travel restrictions in January and February of 2020. By comparison, there were 2,128 passengers this past March, down 89.8 per cent from the 21,123 passengers last year.

    “What we are seeing now is a true reflection of the impacts of COVID compared to this time last year when numbers were just starting to fall,” Airport Managing Director, Ed Ratuski told NL News. “This is the reality we’re in right now with so few passengers travelling through the airport right now, and essential travellers only at this point.”

    “Numbers have been stable since that last round of travel restrictions that came into effect at the end of 2020. We were sitting right at about 2,500 passengers a month, largely just because it is essential travellers.”

    In all of 2020, there were just 123,675 people who passed through the terminal at Kamloops Airport compared to a record 361,586 back in 2019.

    Ratuski says while there are signs of optimism in the months ahead, passenger volumes will likely remain low as long as travel restrictions are in place.

    “Federal support for airlines will help to re-establish suspended routes and introduce new destinations to support an expected surge in demand for domestic leisure travel once it is safe to do so,” Ratuski added.

    Last month, the BC Government also announced $720,000 in COVID relief funding for Kamloops Airport to help pay for things like operating and maintenance costs, payroll, rent, and other overhead costs until the end of March 2022.

    Kamloops Airport has and will remain open during the pandemic for essential travel and cargo as well as medivac flights and wildfire planes.

    Ratuski is asking any passengers to follow all of the physical distancing and other public health measures that are in place.

  • New Kamloops flight school offering ultra light training

    From infoNews – link to source story

    Carli Berry | April 11, 2021

    https://infotel.ca/news/medialibrary/image/hd-mediaitemid82191-8093.jpg
    The Zenair ultra light aircraft owned by Vayu Aviation. Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Vayu Aviation

    A new Kamloops flight school is attracting pilots and newbies alike.

    Praveen Premchandran, chief flight instructor with Vayu Aviation, said the new fixed-wing flight school in the city has been a long-time goal.

    Premchandran is one of three partners of Vayu Aviation including Vignesh Rajasekar and Matt Erhardt that got off the ground in November 2020.

    “I was in Calgary working for a regional airline and I was laid off in April and I’ve been laid off since then… and for the longest time I’ve been dabbling with the idea of starting my own flight school and not knowing when I would get hired back with the airline. We were talking and Vignesh said ‘hey why don’t we open one here?’” Premchandran said.

    There is currently no other flight school in the city that provides ultralight training, Premchandran said. According to the flight school’s website, an Ultralight Pilot Permit is required for someone who wishes to operate ultralight airplanes including powered parachutes, powered paragliders, weight-shift trikes and two or three-axis fixed wing airplanes under 1200-pound maximum take-off weight.

    READ MORE: Kelowna to Montreal flights from Air Canada to start this summer

    Premchandran and Rajasekar have taught in the community before and they’ve been spreading the word for the new flight school through social media and through the aviation community.

    “A lot of legwork has been going through and we’ve definitely seen some results. With the pandemic and everything, I think we’re doing well. Obviously we could do a lot better as things get easier and as people get to know more about us. It’s definitely been pretty overwhelming the response from the community, you know people hearing about a flight school and wanting to get flying,” Premchandran said.

    The flight school offers both the ultra-light training and regular fixed-wing training and aspirational pilots can rent the planes to complete the required hours to obtain a commercial pilot’s licence, he said.

    Interest for flight training is coming from a broad age-range, he said.

    “We’ve had interest from someone has young as 12-and-a-half,” he said.

    After offering a discovery flight to the youth, he was hooked and can’t wait to get his student licence, Premchandran said, adding that retirees and those who already have a pilot’s licence but just want to rent the planes are also expressing interest.

    The company’s ultra light basic packages costs $3,000 but flights can also be on a pay as you go basis.

    The long-term plan is to keep expanding the flight school and maybe partner with TRU one day, Premchandran said.

  • Details of Financial Support to Air Canada

    From: Department of Finance Canada | 12 April 2021

    Backgrounder

    The government’s financial support to Air Canada is being provided under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF). The Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) has committed to provide $4 billion in repayable loans and an equity investment in Air Canada of $500 million in newly-issued Class B Voting Shares at a 15 per cent discount to their recent trading price. CEEFC will also receive warrants on Air Canada stock in an amount equal to 10 per cent of the loan commitments (CEEFC’s news release contains detailed information regarding the warrants).

    As a condition of its agreement with CEEFC, Air Canada has made a number of commitments as outlined below.

    Refunds for Canadians

    The agreement with Air Canada ensures that customers who had their flights cancelled, or took action to cancel a flight because of the pandemic, are not financially disadvantaged. Under the terms of the financing agreement, Air Canada has committed to offer refunds to any passenger who wants a refund for certain pandemic-related cancelations by the carrier that CEEFC will finance. Air Canada has committed to providing customers with their refunds as soon as possible – beginning April 30, 2021 at the latest. CEEFC will provide additional loan financing of up to $1.4 billion for Air Canada to provide these refunds. Travel agents may assist in the processing of refunds for tickets the travel agents sold but will not be required to refund their commission to Air Canada.

    Protecting Jobs

    As a condition of the agreement with CEEFC, Air Canada has committed to maintain jobs at current levels, to respect collective bargaining agreements, and protect workers’ pensions. Air Canada currently has 14,859 active Canadian employees.

    As required more generally under LEEFF, Air Canada has also agreed to restrictions on dividends, buying back shares, and executive compensation. The company will also provide climate-related financial disclosures, including how its future operations will support environmental sustainability and national climate goals.

    Restarting Vital Domestic Air Services

    The terms of the financial support will ensure that Canadians and communities retain air connections to the rest of Canada, through the restart of service at airports temporarily suspended by Air Canada. For seven airports where Air Canada had permanently canceled service, the airline will seek interline agreements with other carriers with a view to ensure those Canadians continue to have convenient access to their preferred airports and the flights they need.

    Service will resume by no later than June 1, 2021, at the following suspended airports based on public health advice:

    • Bathurst
    • Comox
    • Fredericton
    • Gander
    • Goose Bay
    • Kamloops
    • North Bay
    • Penticton
    • Prince Rupert
    • Saint John
    • Sandspit
    • Sydney
    • Yellowknife

    Supporting Jobs in Canada’s Aerospace Industry

    The aerospace industry supported 235,000 Canadian jobs and contributed over $28 billion in gross domestic product to the Canadian economy in 2019.

    This financing agreement will allow Air Canada to continue to be a vital customer of the Canadian aerospace industry by completing its planned purchase of aircraft as set out in its business plan, which includes aircraft built in Canada, such as the Airbus A220. Aerospace is one of the most innovative and export-driven industries in Canada. The negative impact of the pandemic on the bottom line of airlines has put the relationship between airlines and the aerospace industry at risk, threatening job security in the sector. Ensuring that Air Canada maintains its status as a key customer of Canada’s aerospace industry is important to ensuring the long term success of the sector and the thousands of jobs it supports.

  • Snowbirds CT114 Tutor Investigation Report Confirmed the Ingestion of a Bird

    Royal Canadian Air Force Investigation Report | January 29, 2021 | Updated: March 23, 2021

    Location: 1 NM east of Kamloops airport, BC
    Date: 17 May 2020
    Status: Investigation Completed

    The accident involved a CT114 Tutor aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces Air Demonstration Team (Snowbirds) enroute to Comox, BC to reposition in support of Op INSPIRATION. The aircraft was number two of a formation of two Tutor aircraft.

    Following the take-off, a loud, impact-like sound was heard by both occupants and the aircraft then experienced a loss of thrust. The pilot initiated a climb straight ahead and then elected to carry out a left-hand turn back towards the airport. The manoeuvre resulted in an aerodynamic stall halfway through the turn before the pilot gave the order to abandon the aircraft. Both occupants subsequently ejected and the aircraft was destroyed upon impact in a residential area. The passenger was fatally injured and the pilot received serious injuries. Evidence gathered during the investigation revealed that both occupants’ ejection sequences were outside of the ejection envelope.

    Crash site. Photo Credit: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    DNA evidence collected from the engine’s internal components confirmed the ingestion of a bird as witnessed from video evidence; however, the damage it caused was insufficient to cause a catastrophic failure. Rather, it resulted in a compressor stall that was never cleared.

    The investigation recommends a directive be published which outlines the aircrew’s priority where an emergency during the take-off or landing phase occurs and has the potential to result in an ejection near or over a populated area.

    Crash site. Photo Credit: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The investigation also recommends further training on engine-related emergencies be practiced in the takeoff/low-level environment. It is also recommended that the practice of storing items between the ejection seat and the airframe wall cease immediately.

    Finally, further research is recommended into the potential options that would stabilize the CT114 ejection seat from any tendency to pitch, roll or yaw immediately following its departure from the ejection seat rails.

  • WestJet leads domestic recovery with the addition of 11 new routes

    Airline’s investments in Western Canada support travel and tourism in anticipation of summer demand 

    CALGARY, AB, March 26, 2021 /CNW/ – WestJet today announced 11 new domestic routes across Western Canada. The routes will offer new nonstop service for 15 communities across Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The enhancements follow an announcement made earlier in the week to return previously suspended service to Atlantic Canada and Quebec City.  

    A message from WestJet President and CEO Ed Sims, on the airline’s commitment to Canada’s safe restart 

    “As we look to the coming months with cautious optimism, we know our restart agenda will be pivotal to Canada’s economic recovery,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “Stimulating air travel benefits all Canadians and supports those hardest hit; with one in every 10 Canadian jobs tied to travel and tourism, the ripple effect benefits our whole country.”  

    The new routes include service between Toronto (YYZ) and Comox (YQQ); between Ottawa (YOW) and Victoria (YYJ) and eight new routes connecting the prairie provinces to British Columbia tourism destinations, such as Regina (YQR) to Kelowna (YLW). Full schedule details and start dates are outlined below. 

    “We are at an inflection point; one that is buoyed by the rollout of vaccines, months of learning how to take appropriate precautions, and a view to Canada’s beautiful summer months that allows us to spend more time outdoors,” continued Sims. “If Canadians were to shift two-thirds of their planned international-leisure travel spend towards domestic tourism, it would help sustain 150,000 jobs and accelerate recovery by one year, all while seeing what Canada has to offer.” 

    New routes: 

    Route Frequency Effective from 
    Toronto – Fort McMurray 2x weekly (Wed, Sun) June 6, 2021 
    Kelowna – Saskatoon 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) June 24, 2021 
    Kelowna – Regina 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) June 24, 2021 
    Saskatoon – Victoria 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) June 24, 2021 
    Winnipeg – Victoria 3x weekly (Thu, Sat, Sun) June 24, 2021 
    Edmonton – Kamloops 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) June 24, 2021 
    Edmonton – Penticton 2x weekly (Thu, Sun) June 24, 2021 
    Edmonton – Nanaimo 2x weekly (Fri, Sun) June 25, 2021 
    Prince George – Abbotsford 2x weekly (Fri, Sun) June 25, 2021 
    Ottawa – Victoria 1x weekly (Sat) June 26, 2021 
    Toronto – Comox 1x weekly (Sat) June 26, 2021 

    About WestJet 

    In 25 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.

    Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline’s Safety Above All hygiene program. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.

    For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com. 

  • Menzies Aviation supports WestJet at five new stations in British Columbia

    03/02/21 – Menzies Aviation is further developing its relationship with Canada’s WestJet with the announcement of a new contract to offer guest services at five new stations in the Western province of British Columbia.

    https://menziesaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Westjet.jpg

    Menzies already works with WestJet at Toronto, one of WestJet’s largest hubs, and other airports around the world and is now supporting their business and operations at Victoria (YYJ), Nanaimo (YCD), Comox (YQQ), Abbotsford (YXX), and Kamloops (YKA).

    James Wong, Vice-President, Sales – Canada & Caribbean said: “We are currently servicing WestJet at one of their largest hubs in Toronto and various airports globally. The addition of the Canadian western stations is a testament to the ongoing trust in delivering an exceptional experience to WestJet guests. We  look forward to further developing our global relationship and the opportunity to offer our services to the aviation community in Western Canada..”

    Robert Antoniuk, WestJet Vice-President, Airports said: “For more than 15 years Menzies has partnered with us to provide safe and caring service to millions of WestJet guests. Our long-standing relationship alongside Menzies’ alignment with our service culture are two key reasons we selected them as our service partner for these Western Canadian airports. We look forward to a continued healthy partnership.”

  • Pacific Coastal Airline’s first flight to Vancouver leaves today

    From Kamloops This Week – link to source story

    Pacific Coastal Airlines’ new non-stop service between Kamloops Airport and Vancouver International Airport’s South Terminal begins on Tuesday and will continue with one daily flight each way, Sundays through Fridays. It is the only airline to fly between the two cities.

    Kamloops This Week | FEBRUARY 9, 2021

    Pacific Coastal Airlines

    A new airline connection between Kamloops and Vancouver begins today (Feb. 9), filling the void left behind when Air Canada suspended all flights out of the Tournament Capital due to pandemic-related financial issues.

    Pacific Coastal Airlines’ new non-stop service between Kamloops Airport and Vancouver International Airport’s South Terminal begins on Tuesday and will continue with one daily flight each way, Sundays through Fridays. It is the only airline to fly between the two cities. article continues below 

    TRENDING STORIES

    The 50-minute flights will leave Vancouver at 2:35 p.m. and land in Kamloops at 3:25 p.m. Flights will also leave Kamloops at 3:55 p.m. and land in Vancouver at 4:45 p.m.

    Pacific Coastal is using 19-passenger pressurized turboprop Beech 1900D aircraft.

    In addition to Pacific Coastal’s arrival, On Tuesday, Central Mountain Air has said it plans to introduce Kamloops to Vancouver flights in April. Last week, Central Mountain suspended its thrice-weekly flights between Kamloops and Prince George and said they may return in April.

    Air Canada stopped its Kamloops to Vancouver flights on Jan. 23. The company said it has continued operating during the pandemic with less than eight per cent of normal passenger volumes and has reduced its workforce by 20,000 people and fleet by 79 aircraft.

    WestJet Airlines continues its daily Kamloops-Calgary connection.

    For information on all airlines flying out of Kamloops, go online to kamloopsairport.com.

  • Fort Nelson in northeastern B.C. loses flight service for at least 3 months amid COVID slump

    From CBC News – link to source story

    Central Mountain Air suspends flights between Fort Nelson and Prince George starting Feb. 3

    CBC News · Posted: Jan 20, 2021

    Central Mountain Air will suspend its route between Prince George and Fort Nelson starting in early February, leaving the small Northern Rockies community with no scheduled flight service for at least three months. (Central Mountain Air)

    Central Mountain Air announced Tuesday it is suspending flights between Fort Nelson, B.C., and the northern hub of Prince George, leaving the small northeastern community with no flight services for at least three months. 

    The Smithers-based airline said flights between Fort Nelson — a municipality of over 3,000 people — and Prince George will not run from Feb. 3 to May 3, at the earliest. 

    Travellers from the Northern Rockies town will need to drive four hours to the nearest airport in Fort St. John, B.C., or continue for a nine-hour drive to Prince George.

    Central Mountain Air also suspended flights between Prince George and Kamloops in the souther Interior from Feb. 3 to Apr. 5.

    “Devastating declines in travel and extended provincial health advisories against non-essential travel have necessitated a significant scaling back of our scheduled operations for the foreseeable future,” wrote Central Mountain Air CEO Bob Cummings in a statement. 

    Cummings said it’s a hard decision to cut back services for remote communities.

    “I feel horrible,” he said to CBC News. “The air transportation link for medical treatment, keeping a base level of the economy going for the resource industry, as well as cargo, medical supplies, mail … these are crucial links for these communities.” 

    Fort Nelson Mayor Gary Foster says the flight suspension is particularly challenging for people seeking medical services out of town, as well as medical professionals coming to provide services to the small community.

    “They would have to spend a day driving [from the airport in Fort St. John or Prince George] to the Northern Rockies and driving a day out,” he said. “Plus they would have a rental car. They would have to pay for the length of time they’re here in Fort Nelson.”

    The nearest scheduled airline service for residents of Fort Nelson, B.C., is now a four-hour drive away at Fort St. John. (Simon Charland/CBC)

    Last Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered the new federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra to make regional airlines a priority along with supporting regional economic development.

    Foster says federal and provincial governments should step in to support regional airlines like Central Mountain Air amid the economic woes during the pandemic, but he’s not optimistic other Canadian airlines are able to fill in the gap to provide services to Fort Nelson.

    “I think they’re all running for cover and they are worried about just staying afloat until the end of this pandemic,” he said. 

    Both Air Canada and WestJet have also slashed services because of plummeting demand due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Starting Saturday, Air Canada will cut all its flights from two other B.C. destinations: Prince Rupert on the North Coast and Kamloops.

    With files from Andrew Kurjata and Christine Coulter

  • Pacific Coastal Airlines Announces New Service to Kamloops

    January 20th, 2021

    Richmond, BC – Pacific Coastal Airlines is pleased to announce a new non-stop service between Vancouver International Airport South Terminal (YVR) and Kamloops Airport (YKA) effective Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

    Beech 1900D Aircraft (Courtesy of Pacific Coastal Airlines)

    The 50-minute flight will operate 6 days a week between Vancouver and Kamloops. Flights will be offered Sunday to Friday on the 19-passenger pressurized turboprop Beech 1900D aircraft. The 1900D offers comfortable seating, 6-foot cabin height, and generous cargo capacity.

    Customers can also benefit from convenient connecting flight options to reach other communities in British Columbia such as Victoria, B.C.

    RouteFrequencyFlight #DepartingArrivingEffective
    Vancouver to KamloopsSunday to Friday#12052:35 p.m.3:25 p.m.February 9, 2021
    Kamloops to VancouverSunday to Friday#12063:55 p.m.4:45 p.m.February 9, 2021

    “We want to ensure that the community of Kamloops maintains air service to Vancouver to support the movement of essential workers, time-sensitive cargo, and assist those travelling for medical appointments at this time,” said Johnathan Richardson, Vice President of Commercial Services. “Pacific Coastal Airlines is proud to expand the destinations we serve in the Thompson Okanagan region and we will deliver reliable, convenient, and affordable flights that customers value.”

    “Kamloops Airport is pleased to welcome Pacific Coastal Airlines to our airport and our community. Passengers using this important Kamloops-Vancouver service can expect a safe and healthy experience both at the airport and on board with this valued airline partner,” said Ed Ratuski, Managing Director, Kamloops Airport.

    “We are delighted that Pacific Coastal Airlines will become our newest service partner at YKA.  I encourage local residents to make use of this important connection to Vancouver for all their essential travel needs during this pandemic period and beyond,” said Mayor Ken Christian.

    Introductory fares are now on sale as low as $150 one-way, per passenger (inclusive of fees, surcharges, and tax). To book this new service visit www.pacificcoastal.com or speak to your travel agent.

    Pacific Coastal Airlines offers air cargo service to 17 destinations throughout their network to transport time-sensitive cargo. With various levels of shipping priority, they offer shipping solutions tailored to customer requirements at competitive rates.

    Pacific Coastal Airlines has also adopted additional safety measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and customers. The measures include enhanced aircraft sanitation practices, physical distancing at airport facilities, reduced contact points, and the requirement for all customers to travel with a face mask and answer health check questions before boarding. Learn more about the additional safety measures online.

  • Central Mountain Air to suspend key regional routes

    Continued lack of government support adversely affecting vital air service

    Airline calls on communities to engage all levels of government to support essential air services

    SMITHERS, BC, Jan. 19, 2021 /CNW/ – Today, Central Mountain Air (CMA) announced it will suspend service on three regional routes. The routes will be suspended from February 3, 2021, to at least April 5, 2021. This action by CMA follows their decision earlier this month to suspended service from Prince George to Fort St. John as the company continues to deal with the crushing economic impact of the pandemic. No other airline operates these affected routes.

    “Devastating declines in travel and extended provincial health advisories against non-essential travel have necessitated a significant scaling back of our scheduled operations for the foreseeable future,” commented Bob Cummings, Central Mountain Air’s CEO. “The federal government has been promising for almost a year that help is on the way to support these essential air services, but no such support has been received or clearly outlined. Our customers and the communities we serve are bearing the brunt of this inaction. In addition to supporting the local economies with the transport of essential workers, our airline and its dedicated staff fly customers to medical treatments and transport medical supplies, mail, and other vital cargo.

    Route Changes

    BetweenDates
    Fort Nelson / Prince GeorgeSuspended February 3 to earliest May 3
    Kamloops / Prince GeorgeSuspended February 3 to earliest April 5
    Edmonton* / High LevelSuspended February 3 to earliest May 3
    Vancouver / KamloopsStarts April 5, 2x weekly
    *Note: Edmonton has a charter base with an opportunity for ad hoc charter requests.”

    Recognizing the crucial link our airline provides to the communities we serve, CMA continued to operate these routes, with one short suspension, since the start of the pandemic (March April 2020) while sustaining losses. For more than ten months, CMA leadership has sought to engage the federal government in support of airports and airlines, particularly in more remote areas. However, the promised necessary financial support has not materialized. At this time, without direct government support to assist in maintaining operations until demand resumes, CMA can no longer continue the provision of these essential air services.

    “We also need the continued support of the communities we serve,” continued Bob Cummings. If you rely on our services and would like to voice your view that scheduled air services are critical to your community, we ask you to contact your MLA, MP, Premier or the federal Minister of Transport. With government support, we would be proud to continue to serve our customers and maintain crucial airline connectivity in British Columbia and Alberta until demand returns. If there is any chance to save vital air service to these communities, action must be urgently undertaken.”