The Fort McMurray International Airport is looking to add new destinations to the west coast and into the United States.
The YMM airport is looking to add new destinations to encourage more flyers to use their service instead of traveling to Edmonton or Calgary.
Right now, they currently provide direct routes to five cities – Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, and Fort Chipewyan.
RJ Steenstra, President and CEO of the YMM Airport, tells Mix News adding new destinations would go a long way in helping the local economy.
“We would like to see more people come through our airport because our concessions, our restaurants, our services rely on passenger volume just like we do and that becomes really important, that sustains jobs in the region.”
High on the Airport’s wishlist is Kelowna and Las Vegas.
Through Flair Airlines residents can once again travel to British Columbia, while the airport did introduce a new charter service to Harrah’s Laughlin, a hotel and casino in Nevada, however, Steenstra notes they keep hearing from residents they want more destinations.
He believes Kelowna could become a destination in the foreseeable future.
“We think that’s a great opportunity for an airline to serve direct and we believe we can sustain service between the two communities.”
In the meantime, Steenstra says we could start to see our current routes add more times to allow flyers more variety.
ICYMI: On this edition of Fort McMurray Matters, we chat with the @FlyYMM about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had, plans and ideas moving forward, and safety protocols in place for passengers #ymm #rmwb https://t.co/RFcOnGJ5wK
— MIX 103.7 News (@Mix1037FMNews) October 2, 2020