Saint John Airport Eager To Stop ‘Depleting Their Reserves’

Federal support for airports is welcome news for the Saint John Airport.

“The Saint John Airport is encouraged by the recent federal fiscal update and announcement of funding for the aviation sector, including small airports like ours,” said CEO Derrick Stanford in a statement Tuesday.

“While we are still awaiting greater clarity on the measures announced, particularly around support for our airline partners, testing and eligibility for the various programs referenced in the Minister’s speech, we recognize that it’s an important first step.”

In an interview with our newsroom, Stanford said they entered the COVID-19 crisis in good financial shape but have since scrapped capital plans for this year and next year.

He says they have dipped into their savings “quite a bit” to ride out the storm.

“So the availability of potential programs from the federal government will help us reinvest in the airport. It’s a large facility, it was built in 1952 and we continue to make improvements in it,” Stanford said.

The facility saw a 92 per cent drop in passenger volumes this year.

Stanford said support from Ottawa includes money for infrastructure projects, route preservation and a four year break on rent.

He said this will help them rebuild their business.

“As the demand picks up, we’ll be well-prepared to take advantage of people returning to the skies. There will be a lot of pent up demand of air travel. We want to be able to meet that demand,” Stanford said.

Stanford said they are happy to return to a growth strategy and stop depleting their reserves.

One flight continues to operate daily at the Saint John, to Montreal.

Stanford said it’s important to keep that going after having zero flights in April, May and most of June.

“The people that do fly are essential workers, healthcare workers. We still have a lot of people who work out west but live in New Brunswick. We do move medical goods back and forth,” Stanford said.

Prior to the pandemic, Stanford said the Saint John Airport contributed over $60 million to the area’s economic output.