Since late June, Jack Garland Airport and the City of North Bay have been working to restore regularly scheduled passenger air service to and from Toronto following the indefinite suspension by Air Canada of service between the two cities and its decision to close the airline's North Bay station.
See original story: Air Canada announcement 'devastating' news for Jack Garland Airport and local economy
According to a North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce member survey, Bearskin Airlines is considering filling this void in service. A division of Manitoba-based Perimeter Aviation, Bearskin has been serving North Bay and Northeastern Ontario for nearly 30 years and Northwestern Ontario since 1963.
If Bearskin decides to go ahead with its plan, the airline would initially offer two round-trip flights between North Bay and Toronto, Monday to Friday. Both morning and evening flights — allowing same-day return service and connections in Toronto to and from Air Canada — would be offered.
Passengers would fly on a Fairchild Metroliner to start, with Bearskin indicating an upgrade to Dash 8 service is possible "when demand warrants." According to Bearskin, on a Fairchild Metroliner, every passenger gets an "aisle and window seat in its 19-seat, two-row, center aisle configuration." And, no washroom would be offered for the 50-minute flight.
“Business likes certainty. And we have 700 plus jobs dependent on the airport. If business doesn’t hear that we are going to keep the airport open, those 700 jobs would leave our community,” said North Bay Mayor Al McDonald in the wake of the Air Canada decision.
North Bay Chamber President Peter Chirico sent a stern letter to Air Canada, in which he wrote, "With the closure and indefinite suspension of services, these concerns now create a barrier for future growth and attraction of industry to North Bay and surrounding communities."
This past week, Bearskin announced its plans to increase flight frequencies connecting several northwestern and northeastern Ontario cities, including North Bay. Service between Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and North Bay will be upped every other week, effective September 14.
"This is positive news and shows that Bearskin Airlines sees a return by air travellers in their northern Ontario market," said Jack Garland Airport Manager Jack Santerre.
See related story: Northern airline preparing to touch down more often in North Bay
The North Bay Chamber is surveying its members to help Bearskin Airlines gauge the demand from the business community to restore air service between North Bay and Toronto.
"We recognize how important this service is to our business community, residents and visitors and, as such, encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey," the Chamber writes to its members. "Your feedback will remain confidential, results will be aggregated to help gauge current air travel demand."
The survey seeks feedback on air travel booking habits, frequent destinations and connections beyond Toronto, and the reasons for travel. It also asks business travellers how often they flew pre-pandemic and whether they are ready to fly again with increased health and safety protocols in place.
