N.L. airports soaring toward recovery from COVID-19 pandemic

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 11:36 AM EDT | Last Updated: 35 minutes ago

Last year, the fig of passengers flying successful and retired of the St. John's International Airport returned to pre-pandemic levels, thing the caput of the airdrome authorization says is simply a bully motion of things to come.

Dennis Hogan, CEO of the St. John's International Airport Authority, says the 2024 rider number reached astir 1.4 million, up about 9.4 per cent from 2023.

"COVID truly deed the aviation and the airdrome assemblage incredibly hard. So it's just to accidental that we're backmost to a much emblematic level of postulation and we're optimistic for the future," Hogan told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

To rebuild the hose routes, a absorption was on large question hubs successful Canada similar Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, helium said.

"Airports that are much determination successful quality — like YYT and different specified airports astir the state — it took america a spot longer to get there," Hogan said.

The airdrome authorization is anticipating further maturation this year, but Hogan says there's a caveat owed to the economical uncertainty successful Canada and crossed the globe.

"I would ideate that that volition person immoderate impact. Overall, it's truly hard to foretell astatine this point," helium said.

Cross-border flights into the U.S. were once a priority, but due to the fact that of the commercialized war, it has "thrown a grade of caution" into increasing routes to the south. 

"But that's thing that's inactive precise overmuch connected our radar," said Hogan.

Still, the St. John's airdrome is heading into the engaged summertime play and there's an added boost this twelvemonth with the Canada Summer Games landing in St. John's successful August.

Gander connected track

In cardinal Newfoundland, Gander International Airport hasn't bounced backmost to pre-pandemic levels, conscionable yet, but it is connected the close path, says president and CEO Reg Wright.

"I deliberation 2024 was a measured measurement of advancement toward wherever we request to beryllium arsenic the airdrome recovers," he told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

"So it wasn't a confetti and fireworks benignant celebratory year. But that said, I deliberation each translation is the sum of 1,000 tiny steps."

In its yearly wide gathering study released this week, the airdrome authorization announced it had served 115,978 passengers successful the past year, a 6.5 per cent summation implicit 2023 but inactive 33 per cent beneath pre-pandemic levels.

"All things considered, it is simply a bully measurement successful the close direction. It hasn't happened astir arsenic accelerated arsenic immoderate of america want, but it does necessitate immoderate patience," said Wright.

Wright says things are looking bully for this summer season, pointing to Air Canada adding a 2nd Toronto formation arsenic good arsenic PAL's new inter-provincial loop betwixt Gander, Deer Lake and St. John's and accrued routes to Labrador.

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