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Varcoe: Aptitude Airways opens new Calgary base as 'ferocious' summer time journey season approaches

For Calgary, this all means extra jobs — and extra flights arriving and departing within the metropolis — in an increasing sector

Printed Could 02, 2023  •  Final up to date 39 minutes in the past  •  4 minute learn

Stephen Jones, president and CEO of Aptitude Airways, poses on the firm’s base in Calgary on Tuesday, Could 2, 2023. The airline introduced the institution of a brand new base at Calgary Worldwide Airport. Photograph by Jim Wells /Postmedia

Edmonton-based Aptitude Airways has opened a brand new entrance for the corporate in Calgary, marking the subsequent step within the battle for budget-conscious travellers as air journey bounces again strongly heading into the summer time.

It got here a day after WestJet formally opened its personal base in Edmonton and accomplished the takeover of Sunwing Holidays and Sunwing Airways, Canada’s largest trip tour operator.

It additionally arrives as demand for boarding a airplane continues to take off in Canada, with a robust summer time anticipated for airways in 2023.

For Calgary, this all means extra jobs — and extra flights arriving and departing within the metropolis — in an increasing sector.

“The brand new base is a big funding in assets and personnel in Calgary,” Aptitude Airways CEO Stephen Jones informed reporters on Tuesday.

“Our plans in Calgary are massive.”

Aptitude at present flies to 11 cities out of Calgary and plans so as to add 4 extra within the coming months, together with London, Ont., in July, adopted by Phoenix, Las Vegas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, later within the yr.

The corporate’s base on the Calgary Worldwide Airport, together with a upkeep facility and hangar, will see Aptitude function three planes out of town.

About 40 pilots and 60 flight attendants at the moment are working for Aptitude in Calgary, and it’ll add 40 upkeep employees. Throughout the nation, Aptitude has greater than 1,200 employees and is at present flying 19 planes.

Aptitude made headlines in March when 4 leased Boeing 737 planes have been seized by the leasing firm, as a result of claims that it was in arrears; the airline, in flip, filed a lawsuit in opposition to the agency over the dispute.

Jones stated its authorized motion continues and burdened Aptitude has backfilled the state of affairs with plane it had prepared for the summer time. In April, 90 per cent of its seats have been offered. He expects excessive load components to proceed all through the summer time.

That is the seventh base for the corporate in Canada.

“For shoppers, it is going to imply extra community choices, extra schedule choices, due to this fact, extra entry to decrease fares,” he stated.

The transfer provides to the extraordinary competitors now underway in Alberta — and throughout Canada — between ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs), together with WestJet’s Swoop and Calgary-based Lynx Air, which not too long ago marked its first yr of flying.

Lynx Air anticipates rising its fleet dimension to 10 Boeing 737 plane this yr, and it’ll function greater than 250 flights per week this summer time in North America.

It welcomed a brand new airplane — the seventh out of Calgary — earlier this week.

“We expect a really robust summer time and it’s constructing properly proper now . . . I feel final yr was pent-up demand. I feel it’s now turning into rather more sustainable development,” stated Lynx CEO Merren McArthur.

“We’re right here to stimulate extra individuals to fly, which is rising the market, moderately than simply making an attempt to steal market share or doing battle with the opposite airways.”

Throughout the first three months of the yr, Calgary Worldwide Airport recorded 3.8 million passengers, up 65 per cent from the identical interval final yr.

The airport might break its pre-pandemic document of 18 million passengers going via the doorways this yr.

“Now we have by no means seen these sorts of load components, the proportion of seats offered . . . It’s provider after provider, whether or not they’re legacy carriers or low-cost carriers,” stated Calgary Airport Authority CEO Bob Sartor.

“These numbers are startling. So, within the close to future, I don’t see any main disruptions. Long run, every little thing settles down. After which we are going to see who’re going to be the winners.”

Bob Sartor, president and CEO of Calgary International Airport, speaks at Flair Airlines company’s base in Calgary on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
Bob Sartor, president and CEO of Calgary Worldwide Airport, speaks at Aptitude Airways firm’s base in Calgary on Tuesday, Could 2, 2023. Photograph by Jim Wells /Postmedia

For WestJet, the completion of the Sunwing deal marks the primary main acquisition for the Calgary-based provider because it was based in 1996.

Introduced in March 2022, the deal brings collectively the nation’s largest tour operator with Canada’s second-largest air provider, and it required approval from the federal authorities.

It provides 18 Boeing 737 planes and about 2,000 employees to WestJet, which is privately owned by Onex Corp.

“We’re very excited that this lastly closed. It’s been 14 months of ready,” WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech stated in an interview.

“It creates a good bigger and extra . . . various tour operator that covers extra segments, extra geography and may provide extra journey alternatives to Canadians.”

Sunwing CEO Stephen Hunter has turn into the chief govt of WestJet Group’s trip enterprise.

WestJet has been rising its flights to leisure and solar locations, whereas its new company sport plan has been centred on the West.

A Sunwing aircraft is parked at Montreal Trudeau airport in Montreal on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The WestJet Group says it has closed its acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines that was first announced in March last year.
A Sunwing plane is parked at Montreal Trudeau airport in Montreal on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The WestJet Group says it has closed its acquisition of Sunwing Holidays and Sunwing Airways that was first introduced in March final yr. Photograph by Paul Chiasson /The Canadian Press

Heading right into a busy journey season, WestJet’s CEO sees rising demand from Canadians. Leisure journey is rebounding, however the business has additionally seen enterprise journey decide up — it’s now about 80 per cent of pre-pandemic ranges, stated von Hoensbroech.

“In fact, the aggressive panorama has modified. So there are a few new entrants which might be all serving the identical market,” he added.

“We imagine that extra competitors is simply going to make us stronger and ship in the end higher provides to shoppers.”

Airline analyst Rick Erickson stated it’s vital that Aptitude is including routes between Calgary and markets equivalent to Las Vegas and Phoenix which might be served by bigger gamers.

He additionally sees a strong journey season forward within the coming months as competitors between air carriers heats up throughout a number of fronts.

“It’s going to be a gangbuster summer time,” Erickson stated. “I feel it’s going to be ferocious.”

Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist.

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