The Saint John Airport (YSJ) saw another challenging year in 2021, but its CEO says there were also many positives.
Sandy Ross highlighted a number of those accomplishments during the airport’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.
Ross said the airport is now officially certified by Transport Canada for low-visibility take-offs.
Flights can now depart the airport at visibility levels as low as 600 feet, he said, compared to 1,200 feet previously.
“Significantly reducing the chance of flight delays or cancellations due to poor weather conditions,” said Ross. “Saint John is the third foggiest airport in Canada, so this improvement is very good news for the airlines.”
Ross also highlighted the nearly $9 million in federal support the airport received over the course of 2021.
That included $3.8 million through the Regional Air Transportation Initiative, $2.4 million through the Airports Capital Assistance Program, $1.1 million through the Airport Relief Fund, and $1.5 million through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.
That money, Ross said, helped the airport recover from COVID-19 and purchase critical infrastructure, including a new firefighting vehicle and a new snowblower for the runway.
YSJ, like many other airports, was forced to put many capital projects on hold over the past couple of years as decreased passenger traffic led to significant impacts on revenue. About 95 per cent of YSJ’s revenue comes from passenger traffic.
Staff at the Saint John Airport recorded just $660,000 in capital expenditures last year, with $392,000 coming from the federal and provincial governments.
Revenue was $1.8 million last year, down by $5.2 million from 2019, the year before the pandemic. Expenses came in at $2.2 million, a drop of $3.5 million compared to two years prior.
Financial documents presented during Wednesday’s AGM showed the airport ended 2021 with a $1.5-million surplus compared to a net deficit of $3.4 million the year before.
“Despite significantly decreased revenues, we maintained liquidity by cutting costs, deferring capital projects when prudent, and leveraging available government funding,” said Mark Bettle, chair of the airport’s board of directors.
Bettle said he is proud of how the board and management at the airport have faced the challenges thrown their way to ensure they are in a strong fiscal situation going forward.
“2021 was not all that different from the year before, but what has changed is our perspective. We’ve come to realize the pandemic isn’t just a short-term situation that we can weather until things return to normal. Air travel in a world of COVID-19 is the new normal for the foreseeable future,” he said.
“Despite the challenges, this is an exciting time for change for the Saint John Airport. The pandemic has provided both the necessity and the opportunity to reimagine YSJ with a fresh perspective.”
Ross, meanwhile, said the airport is working hard to establish flights to the United States, and to create a land-use strategy to diversify the airport’s revenue.
“The challenge before us isn’t just to build back, but to envision how to add the most value for our passengers, our stakeholders, and our local community and the province,” he said.
