Commercial airlines not expected back at Windsor airport for months
But facility’s CEO says he won’t count out chance of earlier return
It will be at least the end of July before the first commercial airline returns to Windsor International Airport after the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights around the globe.
Airport CEO Mark Galvin said Tuesday that Porter is scheduled to return in late July. Air Canada isn’t planning on coming back until September. But Galvin said he hasn’t given up on luring them back earlier.
“We’re in close communication with our partners,” said Galvin. “We want to get them back as soon as possible and YQG is ready to host them. We have constant communication with out airline partners, including West Jet as well. But there obviously is some trepidation in terms of what capacities will be out there.”
Galvin and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens held an online media conference on Tuesday to give an update on what’s been happening at the airport.
There hasn’t been a commercial flight in or out of Windsor since early April. YQG has 46 staff. Galvin said 35 of them have been laid off.
About 350,000 passengers normally travel through YQG in a year, he said, with higher than average numbers in July and August.
“When you go right down to zero obviously that’s a huge impact,” said Galvin.
Globally, he said, there has been a 35- to 65-per-cent decline in passenger numbers.
“Frankly, I think that’s understated because a lot of air carriers have reduced capacity significantly,” said Galvin.
“When I say deep cuts, it’s an understatement. Some have up to 100 per cent. You know, 70, 80, 90 per cent have been common for North American carriers domestically. It’s not uncommon to have 100 per cent internationally. Some carriers like Porter ceased operations.”
He said about 17,000 of the 30,000 aircraft across the globe are grounded. A dozen Airbuses were recently parked at Windsor airport when Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and The Boneyard in Arizona ran out of space.
The only revenue the airport has coming in right now is from leases with “private partners” and the grounded planes being parked there.
When the airlines do return, Galvin said it will be a slow ramp up based on demand and how comfortable people are climbing aboard.
“We’re going to start with a couple of flights and then they’re going to gradually ramp up as the demand increases,” he said. “It really comes down to the demand. That’s why you’ve seen some trepidation in the airline industry, even in the United States. They still have capacity cuts even though passengers have come back because they don’t necessarily want to bring the planes back and fly them with three or four passengers on a 150seat aircraft.”
He said that trepidation presents opportunity for YQG, which is designated as a standby airport for major carriers including Air Canada and has the longest runway between Detroit and Toronto.
Smaller airports are more efficient to get through, he said, and have and less interaction, exposure to large groups or long lines. Dilkens said location is also key. “There are literally millions and millions of people within a 40-minute drive of this airport,” he said. “So with the dollar at a little over 40 cents, the business case was already quite strong for international passengers to fly from Windsor Airport compared to Detroit Metro. So if it’s easier and less expensive for them to get here, all things being equal, we’re a very good choice.”
When travellers do return to the airport, several “mitigation measures” will be in place. Galvin said they put a hard coating on all solid surfaces in the terminal and administration areas. They also installed hand sanitizers, social distancing markers, sneeze guards, and designated “in” and “out” doors, and brought in a new HVAC system. Temperature scans are being considered. So is making masks mandatory in the terminal. Galvin said Pearson airport made them mandatory starting June 1.
“We have to accept that the experience is going to change,” he said.
“I think people will do that. I think they’re already doing that. Even in terms of our society acceptance, we’re accepting things that we might have looked at askew a few months ago. I think it’s important also for air travel. It just becomes another part of our day that you take adequate precautions and you go from point A to point B.”