A new discount air service will make its first flights in and out of Saskatoon Wednesday.
NewLeaf passengers arrive from Kelowna, B.C. at 10:36 a.m. July 27, followed by a flight from Hamilton, Ont. landing three minutes later.
The first departures to both cities take off from Saskatoon at 11:40 a.m. the same day.
“We are delighted to host a new ‘low-cost’ service that strives to stimulate air travel and complements our community’s connectivity within Canada,” said Stephen Maybury, president and CEO of Saskatoon Airport Authority, in a news release Monday.
NewLeaf offers tickets between $89-$150, depending on where and when people are travelling.
Flights in and out of Saskatoon are available Wednesday and Saturday.
The travel company provides seats on planes operated by Flair Air, a licensed Canadian airline.
NewLeaf put its initial launch date in February on hold while the Canadian Transportation Agency reviewed airline licensing policies; the company was never implicated.
“It has taken a bit of time to get off the ground, but we are excited to now bring to Canada the ultra-low-cost business model that has proven successful around the world,” said Jim Young, president and CEO of NewLeaf, in a news release Monday.
Saskatoon and Regina are two of the 12 Canadian destinations serviced by NewLeaf, which include Halifax, Moncton, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Fort St. John, Abbotsford and Victoria.