Frustration, disappointment that Windsor was excluded from the last list of airports authorized to take international flights

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Airport officials and local politicians expressed exasperation and bewilderment Tuesday over Windsor’s exclusion from a list of additional Canadian airports authorized to take international flights.

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What that means in the short term is that the start date of the Sunwing service that Windsorites has counted on for many years to get them to tropical destinations during the winter is in question, and the financial problems caused by COVID in the airport will not be. assisted by the additional income from these international flights that take place three or four times a week. But Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is also concerned about the long-term implications: that companies like Sunwing could move their planes to other airports that are on the list and possibly never return.

There are many things we are working on that are exciting.

“This is a serious problem that cannot be postponed any longer,” Dilkens said Tuesday, expressing hope that Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will use his visit to Windsor on Wednesday to correct the absence of Windsor Airport in the list.

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“They need to make a change here to add YQG (the acronym for Windsor Airport) to the list, so we can start generating revenue and get this airport back on its feet.”

Starting November 30, eight more airports (in Hamilton, Waterloo region, Regina, Saskatoon, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Victoria and St. John’s) will be added to the 10 airports in Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa , Toronto and Toronto Island. , Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver already allowed international flights. Windsor’s absence is a “glaring” mistake, according to the mayor, putting Windsor at a competitive disadvantage. Windsor currently has domestic flights from Air Canada Jazz and Porter. A seasonal WestJet service to Calgary will resume in the spring. Also excluded from the list is London Airport, which leaves southwestern Ontario excluded from international flights.

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“The question is what will this do to our airport in the long term for the next five years when all the planes have been redirected to other airports that are open and can accept international passengers?” Dilkens said.

Mark Galvin, the airport’s chief executive, said he spent Tuesday morning on the phone with several officials trying to understand why Windsor was not on the list. He did not get many satisfactory answers.

“I am very disappointed,” he said. “We are talking about a seasonal sun destination service that is largely filled with fully vaccinated Canadians going on vacation and returning to YQG.”

And locals are very excited about the prospect of a tropical getaway after a nearly two-year shutdown, he said, expressing hope that Windsor will be included on the list in time for Sunwing flights to resume in January.

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“There is a pent-up demand.”

In a telephone interview, the minister said that he understands why all airports want to get back to where they were before the pandemic as quickly as possible. He also wants them to return quickly, but for now, reopenings should happen gradually, he said.

“I understand why the City of Windsor wants Windsor to be on the list and we are going to make it happen,” Alghabra said. “But these decisions are made in consultation with the Public Health Agency of Canada, with the capacity on the ground, with the demand, with the airline, with the airport,” he said. “There are many factors that go into deciding when and which airports will open.”

To show that the government understands the importance of Windsor Airport, Alghabra recited how the possible closure of the Windsor control tower was extinguished in April after a public outcry.

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“This is just to show how important (Windsor airport) is, and we will get there (allowing international flights) as we continue to move cautiously and cautiously in our reopening plans.”

Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis, who sits on the airport board, said the Windsor exclusion is pointless, especially as the United States is preparing to reopen the land border for nonessential travel on Nov.8, which means Americans could Easier access to international flights from Windsor. Just on Monday, the council discussed a report on a projected deficit of $ 13 million, of which about $ 10 million is due to the drastic reduction in traffic at the airport and the tunnel. Before the pandemic, the tunnel and airport paid annual dividends of $ 1 million to the city council.

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“Everything we’ve done in the last 20 years to change the airport and really make it a profitable business for the taxpayers of the City of Windsor, sets us back,” said Francis. “Why Windsor is excluded (when other competing airports like Waterloo and Hamilton are included) puzzles me.”

Francis said that while the impact on Sunwing flights is clear, what he cannot explain is how current efforts to land other international airlines are threatened by Windsor’s delisting.

“There are many things that we are working on and it is exciting.”

Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie, treasurer for the airport board, said he is very disappointed by the exclusion of Windsor.

“There is no clarity and from our point of view no criteria are being applied to make these decisions,” he said.

“The fact that we cannot fly internationally due to the government’s choice here, which we still don’t understand, we think is wrong and we are looking for some answers and frankly to be immediately added to the list.”

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