Flights in and out of the Prince George Airport will start to pick up over the next few days and weeks as restrictions related to the novel coronavirus pandemic have been eased.
The Prince George Airport Authority said Tuesday that Air Canada will resume daily flights between this city and Vancouver starting on Thursday.
Westjet, which has been providing four flights a week, will add a second daily flight to Vancouver, six days a week, starting July 7.
And Central Mountain Air will resume limited service starting July 7, flying three days a week to Kamloops, Kelowna, Terrace-Kitimat and Fort St. John.
Prince George is not part of Pacific Coastal Airlines' phase-two relaunch plan, "however the PGAA continues to work closely with all our airline partners to facilitate service re-launches."
Passengers must wear non-medical grade face coverings and the airport restaurant and internationals area remain closed.
Short-term parking fees have been waived as long as you stay with your vehicle.
The pandemic has taken its toll on passenger numbers at the airport. In May, 1,910 passed through the terminal, compared to 42,537 for the same month last year. It was the second straight month that the airport has seen a 95-per-cent decline on that front.
Not just the airlines have been affected as Budget Car Rental has closed down its office.
"We continue to cut costs where we can, look for new revenue generating opportunities and lobby all levels of government for financial help" said PGAA CEO Gordon Duke.
That's included making local, provincial and federal politicians and the business community aware of the situation.
"We will share our story with whomever will listen and advocate for our sector. We are a not-for-profit corporation and we will play a significant role in kickstarting the Prince George and regional economy in a post COVID world."
The Canadian Airports Council has suggested it will take five years for passenger numbers to return to pre-COVID levels in the aviation sector, the PGAA said.
