Passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels at the Saint John Airport (YSJ), but officials say it is not for a lack of demand.
“If we had the flights now, we’d be at 2019 levels,” Sandy Ross, president and CEO, said following the airport’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.
Figures presented during the meeting showed more than 149,000 passengers flew through Saint John in 2022, slightly more than expected.
Ross said that was around 55 per cent of the 281,000 passengers they saw in 2019 before the pandemic took hold.
“The big problem we have right now is not actually the number of passengers, it’s actually getting aircraft,” Ross told reporters after the AGM.
“There are many more passengers, many more people who want to fly than there are aircraft to put them on.”
The airport is working with airlines to try and bring in more aircraft, but the supply of planes and crew members is limited, said Ross.
He said Air Canada and Flair Airlines — which offer flights to Toronto and Montreal — will likely be the only air carriers to operate at YSJ this year.
But looking ahead to 2024, Ross said there is at least one other carrier that is interested in coming to Saint John.
And the airport is eying a return to sun destination flights this winter for the first time in a number of years.
“We’re in negotiations with Sunwing to return this year and we’re in discussions with another carrier to provide another sun destination as well,” said Ross.
While Ross expects the airport will hit 70 to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic passenger levels in 2023, he said it could be another year or two after that before they see 280,000 passengers again.
Airport reports small deficit in 2022
As passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels, so does the amount of revenue the airport is bringing in.
That is because about 95 per cent of the airport’s current revenue comes from passenger-related activities.
Audited financial statements presented during Wednesday’s AGM showed YSJ ended 2022 with a 212,000 deficit, an improvement from the 455,000 deficit it had been forecasting.
Revenue was six per cent higher than budgeted at $4.5 million while expenses were around $4.7 million.
Ross said they expect to return to a breakeven operation this year. In fact, the airport is projecting a surplus of $1.8 million in 2023, climbing to $2.9 million by 2027.
You can read the airport’s 2022 annual report by clicking here.
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