Muskoka residents will soon learn the findings of a report that may bring commercial air service into the local airport.
A consultant’s report earlier this year examined what is required to ensure the Gravenhurst airport meets federal government regulations and standards for commercial passenger traffic. That report will be presented to the District’s Planning & Economic Development Committee on Thursday, June 23.
“The consultants and I spent much of late winter and spring surveying more than 220 stakeholders, including the general public, tourism operators, municipal and district government representatives, various business interests and current airport tenants to gauge their interest in introducing commercial air service to the region, and to gather insight on what they see as the pros and cons of such an initiative,” says James Murphy, Executive Director of Explorers’ Edge.
“From our perspective, we are trying to determine if such a project could have a significant impact on tourism in Muskoka and the surrounding areas. As the organization charged by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport with building the regional tourism industry, we are very interested in the findings of the report.”
This is the first step in a very long process, says Murphy.
“We are looking forward to reading the comprehensive report from InterVISTAS at the end of June,” he says, adding the next step— if approved by the District — will be to get the CATSA designation at the airport. “Many airports have sought security screening designation by CATSA and only a few have been successful. There is a criteria to be met in order to get the designation, and with this report, the consultant will tell us what is needed before we can formally approach CATSA.”
“We are not currently in a position to approach any airlines, or to articulate a specific plan to fill planes,” says Murphy. “There are a lot of preliminary considerations to take into account before we get to any of that, and we may decide after seeing the initial report that the return on investment is not worth it. A lot remains to be seen, but the InterVISTAS report is definitely the first step on the exploratory path.”
