Airport sees big jump in Q3 passenger traffic

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This article was published 04/11/2021 (1147 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The number of people hopping on planes at Winnipeg’s airport skyrocketed this summer as travel restrictions eased and more routes became available.

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport’s passenger traffic increased 157 per cent in its third quarter, from July 5 to Sept. 26, compared to the same time last year.

“To me, it’s purely a reflection of our community,” said Barry Rempel, president and CEO of Winnipeg Airports Authority.

“It’s just a whole lot better feeling than what it was a year ago.”

In August, 193,943 travellers took planes via Winnipeg’s airport — each week saw at least 20,000 passengers, with some weeks hitting near 50,000. In August 2020, the number of weekly passengers never reached 20,000.

Even so, August only saw a 39.7 per cent return to pre-pandemic travel levels.

The boost in traffic came amid rising COVID-19 vaccination rates in the province, loosening travel restrictions and re-established flight paths.

Delta Airlines relaunched its direct U.S. commercial passenger flights with service to Minneapolis-St. Paul. Air Canada restarted direct service to Montreal, and Flair Airlines connected Winnipeg to Waterloo, Ont.

“This is, by and large, a leisure-led recovery,” Rempel said, adding business-related flights have had slow uptake.

Winnipeg Airports Authority’s consolidated revenue hit $28.3 million this third quarter, a midpoint between the $12.2 million of last year’s period and the $36.1 million of 2019’s.

Earnings before interest, depreciation and taxes were $16.8 million — a big leap from the $2.6 million garnered during the same quarter in 2020. More travellers, plus $5.7 million through Ottawa’s Airport Relief Fund, contributed to the gains.

The number of cargo planes landing in Winnipeg increased 15 per cent from 2020’s third quarter, and the gross takeoff weight climbed 18 per cent.

Winnipeg Airports Authority plans to offer more international routes as winter approaches, including direct flights to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Phoenix-Mesa.

Such trips should return before 2022, according to a Winnipeg Airports Authority news release.

Rempel hopes Winnipeg’s airport will see its 2019 traffic levels — 13,000 to 14,000 travellers daily — by 2025. Carriers aim to return to 2019 capacity by the end of 2023’s first quarter, he said.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca