Saskatchewan airports lose international status

It’s possible Saskatchewan airports could lose their ability to host overseas flights.

A Jan. 26 policy change from Transport Canada only designates 13 airports across the country as international airports. Regina and Saskatoon aren’t included on the list.

James Bogusz, CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, explained it’s still unclear what the change in designation means.

On Monday, he said direct flights to the U.S. would be allowed. However, long-haul overseas flights to destinations like parts of Europe or Asia would not be.

“The big question mark right now (on which) we’ve sought clarity — hopefully we’ll hear back soon — is on if there are going to be any impacts to charter flights (like) the Mexico flights (and) the Caribbean flights with Sunwing and WestJet in the future,” he explained.

Before the pandemic hit, those types of flights were common at YQR.

In Saskatoon, its airport authority gave a statement Monday following the review of the criteria.

“The Saskatoon Airport Authority does not anticipate any change in the International designation as the main requirements are already met, such as airport certification, security program, airport rescue firefighting, and on-site customs,” the statement reads.

While direct flights to far-away destinations are historically uncommon in Saskatchewan, Bogusz still thinks it’s a big loss for opportunities coming out of the pandemic.

“It’s very important for future growth that we retain that designation (as an international airport) … Because we haven’t had any international flights for pretty much a year since the pandemic started, this won’t have an immediate impact, but what we’re trying to protect against is a longer-term impact. When the airport gets recovering, we don’t want to have anything impeding our growth,” he said.

Regina-Wascana MP Michael Kram sits on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

He thinks the change in designation could lead to many problems in the city and the province.

“This sends a terrible message to businesses looking to make investments and set up offices in Regina and Saskatoon. It creates the appearance that we are a backwater destination instead of an international destination like we used to be, and like we should be,” he said in an interview.

While he understands Saskatchewan doesn’t tend to be a major spot for direct flights overseas, he believes there is an opportunity for growth.

“There’s a general consensus that Regina was a little bit underserved by flights before the pandemic. I always thought in the back of my mind, ‘It would be great if we could get flights to the U.K. and Europe one of these days as the city grows bigger and the economy grows bigger.’ Now, with these latest announcements, all of that becomes much more difficult,” he said.

However, there is still a chance that the Regina and Saskatoon airports could hang on to their international status.

The document from Transport Canada listing international airports states it could expand the list.

“If an airport is not on this list but is of the opinion that it meets all of the requirements for designation as ‘International,’ that airport should make a request for approval,” it reads.

The deadline is June 30.

Bogusz will be filing a request, but there is still some legwork to do.

“It basically requires us to reach out to a number of designated parties … and confirm the requirements. With those confirmations in hand, we essentially bring those to the federal government. Hopefully, we will regain the status that we’ve had for many years,” he explained.

While there is still hope, Kram is worried that this is the latest blow to air travel in Saskatchewan. He pointed to the possibility that services at Regina’s air traffic control tower could potentially be scrapped.

“I was concerned … that that may be the first in a series of dominoes. Now it looks like the loss of our international designation is the second domino,” he said. “Where is this going to stop?”