Those who travel to Calgary from Yellowknife on Canadian North may find themselves out of that option from July 1.
“Canadian North is adjusting its schedule to align valuable resources to provide better service,” said a news release from the airline earlier this month.
Canadian North stated that June 30 will see the end of Canadian North’s service from Calgary to Yellowknife. The reason is that they plan to refocus valuable resources, including crew, aircraft and infrastructure, to regions with a greater need.
The route has only been in operation since February of this year.
“Changing market conditions resulted in demand for this new route not materializing.” stated Shelly De Caria, Canadian North’s associate vice president of sales and community investments. “While this single route is ending, we see good demand for our one-of-a-kind Arctic Capital Express, taking our passengers where they need to be, on time and on budget.”
Arctic Capital Express is scheduled to start on June 8, a same-day flight between Edmonton, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, and Ottawa each way every Thursday.
Caroline Wawzonek, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, stated that the aviation industry is the lifeline of the territory’s communities and businesses, and she acknowledged that the reduction of flights will be a challenge to residents living in the North.
Though Wawzonek said that the cancellation of the route is disappointing news, she is still being optimistic.
She said that she recognized that it is a business decision based on market performance and available resources.
“Fortunately, there are existing routes from Yellowknife to Calgary offered through other airlines,” she added.
Wawzonek said that, as a government, the goal is to promote the expansion of routes and to make sure that major airlines understand the distinct conditions in which the NWT operates and how their decisions affect the people of NWT.