A new provincial air sector strategy is getting two thumbs up from the CEO of the Saint John Airport.
Sandy Ross said he is glad the province has decided not to close any of its existing airports.
“The shift in focus away from thinking of the airports as potentially a liability to an asset is an important evolution in the thinking of the airports in New Brunswick,” Ross said in a phone interview.
“While we might be competing with other airports in the region, it also means New Brunswick has three local airports that are also close to their communities and cover a wide swath of the provincial population.”
Ross said he also welcomes the $4 million set aside over four years to help develop new air routes.
While Ross admits the money is not tremendous in and of itself, he said it is substantial nonetheless.
“The cost of operating an aircraft is in the millions on an annual basis, even a small one, the profit expectation for these companies is not insignificant, and the cost of buying an aircraft can be in the 10s and 20s of millions,” he said.
“The point isn’t that those dollars need to pay for the full freight associated with it. They just need to be enough to be able to move the proposition from risky to less risky or from marginally profitable to profitable.”
A committee is being formed with government and industry stakeholders to foster further growth.
The committee will be chaired by a representative from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and will include representatives from Opportunities New Brunswick, the Regional Development Corporation and from the four airports which have scheduled passenger service.
