The president and chief executive officer of the Victoria Airport Authority welcomes the resumption of international service but also tried to temper expectations.

The federal government announced Nov. 2 that the Victoria International Airport, among eight airports across Canada, will reopen for international air travel effective Nov. 30.

Geoff Dickson said this announcement means the resumption of international service, B次元官网网址渟omething we have been long anticipating.B次元官网网址�

International service at the airport stopped after the federal government limited overseas flights to and from four airports (Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver) on March 18, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

B次元官网网址淲e know that we have to follow the health and safety guidelines that are out there, and we are pleased that the federal government has made a determination that conditions are such that we can welcome this kind of service back,B次元官网网址� Dickson said.

B次元官网网址淚t means service starting again with Alaska Airlines (flying) to Seattle and connecting throughout the United States. There will be the return of some SunSpot flights for Mexico and we may even see the introduction of new Las Vegas service with Swoop Airlines to name just a few.B次元官网网址�

This said, some time may pass before international air travel from and to the airport gets off the ground.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very difficult for the airlines,B次元官网网址� Dickson said. B次元官网网址淭hey will need to make decisions around flight crews and aircraft. So hopefully, this will create some new opportunities for them.B次元官网网址�

While the conditions for international air travel will come into effect on Nov. 30, it is not clear yet when international flights will resume given regulatory and logistical issues.

Dickson expects Alaska Airlines will commence service to Victoria close to that Nov. 30 date.

Dickson noted the Nov. 19 date was a placeholder date, as they had been prepping for service. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 just have it announced and then load a schedule,B次元官网网址� he said.

When asked about flights to Mexico and Las Vegas, Dickson said some uncertainty remains but predicted, as of right now, that those flights would resume in January.

International travel accounted for about 15 per cent of the airportB次元官网网址檚 business before the pandemic, said Dickson. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a significant portion.B次元官网网址�

He noted the airport had seen significant growth since 2018, when United and Delta airlines suspended operations to Seattle and San Francisco. B次元官网网址淲hat we are hoping, is that the reopening of the border will start to create new opportunities.B次元官网网址�

HeB次元官网网址檚 hopeful that will mean more opportunity for non-stop service into markets such as Arizona or southern California and to see non-stop service reinstated to Hawaii. B次元官网网址淲e certainly like to see the San Francisco service come back and we are going to be exploring potentially other hub markets in the United States, markets like Denver.B次元官网网址�

Overall, Dickson said traffic is heading in the right direction.

B次元官网网址淲e are encouraged by the numbers we saw in August, September and October, where we operated at approximately 60 per cent of pre-COVID levels,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always challenging trying to forecast, but we believe we are going to see that (reach pre-COVID levels) close to the end of 2023 and into 2024.B次元官网网址�

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