Central Mountain Air's flights between Prince George and Fort Nelson will resume sooner than expected thanks to a campaign to deem the service essential.
First put on hold until at least May 3, the twice-weekly service will instead resume on February 18, CMA said this week, and credited lobbying by the Fort Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce and regional government officials for the turnaround.
FNDCC executive director Bev Davies said the service provided a vital link for the community of about 3,500 people roughly 480 kilometres up the Alaska Highway. Davies was among those who wrote letters to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier John Horgan.
"We are so far away from everybody that it doesn't just affect whether or not we get to go to on a trip, it's not just a leisure thing for us," Davies said. "It's people going for surgeries, for chemotherapy, for specialist appointments, for lab tests being able to get out. It's for our dentists being able to come in to service the community."
It was one of two routes out of Prince George that CMA was to suspend effective Feb. 3. The other is between Prince George and Kamloops will be on hold until at least April 5.
