Prince George Airport Authority will be making a pitch for a share of $16.7 million the provincial government committed this week to helping regional airports survive the coming year.
With 57 airports across B.C. vying for a portion, competition will be stiff but PGAA CEO Gordon Duke is welcoming a chance to secure some of the cash as he seeks ways to recover from the blow the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered.
Traffic through the airport and the revenue it generates has plummeted. Year-end figures show a 64 per cent drop in the number of passengers who passed through the terminal in 2020. Revenue from airport improvement fees took a proportionate drop and overall revenues fell 42 per cent.
"We're thrilled that the government of B.C. has heard the voices of airports and the aviation sector and is stepping forward to help us out," Duke said. "We appreciate the support of the minister, the premier and of the local political leaders who have stepped up to support us."
Aiming to get the application in Victoria's hands by early next week at the latest, Duke said PGAA will play up its importance in delivering patients from across northern B.C. to University Hospital of Northern B.C.
"We have been pretty busy in that regard," he said.
The airport will also note that it's home to two RCMP aircraft and is an important hub during wildfire season.
Going forward, Duke said it will be some time yet - even a matter of years - before the airport is truly back on its feet.
"Barring any dramatic recovery, we're anticipating that 2021 will be worse as far as passenger numbers are concerned than 2020," Duke said.
Duke said airports across Canada need direct support from the federal government to stave off major increases to the fees they charge to passengers as they struggle to work off their debts. If they get too high, Duke predicted passengers will simply drive down to the United States and fly out of those airports as a cheaper alternative.
"We need operational support now so that we're not incurring more debt and that coming out of COVID, we're able to provide Canadians with connectivity and at a reasonable price so that we can be that economic driver that the airports are," Duke said.
He said PGAA has remained committed to keeping as many employees as possible on its payroll.
"We haven't filled any open positions, however...we've got a really solid well-trained team here," Duke said. "If we started eliminating jobs and then in two years we're looking to fill them, you've got an experience gap there that is hard to fill just because of the unique nature of airport operations."
The money committed by the province is meant to support operations from next month until March 2022.
