REGINA -- The CEO of the Regina International Airport says the organization may be out of money by September or early October as it grapples with low travel demand.
James Bogusz, the CEO of the airport, said Friday that the low demand and route cancellations have massive ramifications for its bottom line.
“Right now we’re going to be out of money coming into September, and possibly into early October, depending on where our bills falls,” Bogusz said while speaking on CTV Regina Morning Live.
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“It’s incredibly concerning because we have to raise money to pay our power bill and our staff, and all of the other things that make the airport function,” he said.
Air Canada announced earlier this week it’s suspending four routes in Saskatchewan indefinitely. The routes being suspended include Regina-Winnipeg, Regina-Saskatoon, Regina-Ottawa and Saskatoon-Ottawa.
Bogusz said the Ottawa route is fairly popular in the summer and the Winnipeg route operated daily. But without many customers flying, he said he isn’t surprised the routes were suspended.
He said Regina’s flight volumes in June have been five percent of what it normally sees.
“It’s better than it was in April and May, but it’s a far cry from where we were before COVID-19,” he said.
Bogusz said he doesn’t expect people to fly in large numbers again until they feel comfortable traveling. As well, travel restrictions would have to be lifted, he added.
He said he hopes airlines re-consider their route suspensions when travel re-bounds.
As well, the airport is open for government support, whether that’s through grants or loans, to help deal with the revenue losses, he added.