Imagine flying out of Waterloo Region not just to the handful of destinations currently offered, but to a larger variety of locales across Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
A proposed new Canadian airline says that could be a reality by this time next year.
Canada Jetlines plans to launch service out of Vancouver in the summer of 2017.
Dix Lawson, the company’s, vice-president of strategic planning, says the next step will be to establish a hub in eastern Canada – which is expected to happen somewhere in southwestern Ontario.
“Waterloo … is definitely one of the airports that we view as being a part of that,” he said.
In an interview, Region of Waterloo International Airport general manager Chris Wood said his dealings with Canada Jetlines have left him “cautiously optimistic,” but nothing concrete is in place yet.
He noted that southern Ontario is expected to see a significant increase in demand for flights in the coming years, and Pearson International Airport won’t be able to handle it all.
“There’s going to be an opportunity for an airport … to step up and play a bigger role,” he said.
Lawson describes Canada Jetlines as an “ultra low-cost” airline which plans to move two million passengers a year through southwestern Ontario
With reporting by Leena Latafat
