Regional Air Service is returning to North Bay and MPP Anthony Rota says it will happen by the beginning of June.
The national airline pulled out of North Bay back in July of last year when it announced it would discontinue service on 30 domestic regional routes and close eight stations at airports across the country, including Jack Garland Airport.
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“Regional airports, such as Jack Garland Airport in North Bay, are important to businesses and residents across the country, and the federal government is committed to supporting the return of commercial activity in the aviation sector in Canada in a way that continues to prioritize the health, safety, and security of all Canadians,” said Rota in a news release.
As part of receiving financial assistance, Air Canada will resume service to and from all temporarily suspended stations across the country by June 1, 2021. In addition, service will not be suspended at any additional domestic routes and Air Canada will ensure all airports where service is restored receive a minimum level of service.
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Rota says this has been a project that has been on the table since last July.
“I’ve been working closely with North Bay Mayor Al McDonald and Council and City Staff to ensure we could find a way to bring Air Canada service back to North Bay.”
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Through the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF), the government will provide financial support to Air Canada to protect jobs and ensure that it has the necessary liquidity to keep Canadians and Canadian marketplaces connected.
Air Canada will get access to $4 billion in loans. The financing will include $1.5 billion as a secured loan, and $2.5 billion in unsecured loans. Air Canada does not expect to draw on these loans immediately.
Air Canada will also have access to an additional unsecured tranche of financing that bears a lower interest rate and a longer term than the company’s more general liquidity loans. The maximum amount of financing available for voucher reimbursement is $1.4 billion. Financing will only be provided after the money has been refunded to customers.
“This announcement shows that when we have multiple levels of government working together, we can achieve great things and I’m looking forward to seeing those Air Canada planes landing and taking off once again from Jack Garland Airport,” concluded Rota.
As a condition of the agreement with CEEFC, Air Canada has committed to maintain jobs at current levels - 14,859 active Canadian employees.
