Article content
After a year of historically low rates of air travel, a glimmer of optimism is starting to show around Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker Airport.
The percentage of Saskatchewan residents with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine is rising daily and a return to normalcy is slowly becoming closer to reality. That’s leaving airport officials “optimistic” about a restart to domestic travel in “late summer-early fall,” said CJ Dushinski, the airport’s vice-president of business development and service quality.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Sense of optimism at Saskatoon airport as vaccines flow, return to normalcy inches closer Back to video
By Carol Thomson
May 13, 2021 | 11:08 AM
A spokesperson for the Saskatoon Airport Authority doesn’t believe there is any reason why the application for an international designation won’t be accepted.
Skyxe Vice-President of Business Development and Service Quality, CJ Dushinski, says the application process is new.
It’s not something they have had to do before.
She explains there was a bureaucratic change announced by Transport Canada back in January.
The Regina airport is going through the same process.
Dushinski suggests having the international designation is just a name.
It doesn’t change the ability to accept international flights.
Skyxe is almost ready to submit its application, but is waiting for confirmation letters from a few government agencies stating the airport meets the necessary facility and service requirements.
Airports in Regina and Saskatoon must reapply for international designation
The airports in Saskatchewan s two major cities will have to reapply to maintain their international status after changes by Transport Canada.
Social Sharing
CBC News ·
Posted: Mar 15, 2021 2:03 PM CT | Last Updated: March 15
New rules from Transport Canada mean the airports in Saskatoon and Regina must reapply for international designation. (Neil Cochrane/CBC)
The airports in Saskatchewan s two major cities will have to reapply to maintain their international status after changes by Transport Canada.
In January, Transport Canada released a new document outlining the requirements for a Canadian airport to be considered international. The document lists 13 airports across the country that it designated international. The Saskatoon and Regina airports were not on the list.
Saskatoon / 650 CKOM
Feb 2, 2021 11:01 AM
Hotels in Saskatoon that were once a hub for business activity, parties and conferences are now virtually empty as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps customers away.
Tourism Saskatoon CEO Stephanie Clovechok laid out the grim reality facing hotels, restaurants and attractions with Gormley guest host Mike Couros.
Clovechok said there are downtown hotels in Saskatoon operating with four per cent occupancy, while many restaurants are struggling to break even due to public health orders that limit seating capacity.
“The times are very, very dire for our hospitality sector,” said Clovechok.
“In the next couple months there is about 60 per cent of our partners who could be permanently closing their doors and I have not met one single person who looks forward to seeing businesses boarded up in our communities.”
Saskatoon Airport Authority CEO Stephen Maybury. (650 CKOM file photo)
The Saskatoon Airport Authority (SAA) is staring down a big deficit after COVID-19 brought the air travel industry to its knees in 2020.
In its year-end report, the SAA said passenger traffic ended the year down 69 per cent compared to 2019, resulting in an estimated deficit of between $2 million and $2.5 million.
“We started 2020 well-positioned for growth and ready for another successful year. Beginning in March 2020, with the impacts of COVID, our revenues were just decimated,” SAA president and CEO Stephen Maybury said.
In response, the airport eliminated 15 per cent of its staff and shelved the capital program except for safety and security projects.