Despite a decrease in passenger traffic for 2014, Sudbury Airport CEO Robert Johnston says he's optimistic about 2015.
“I think the future is going to be very bright for our airport,” Johnston said.
But passenger traffic for 2014 was down to 230,233 passengers, compared to 240,045 passengers in 2013 – marking a four-per-cent decrease.
Johnston said Bearskin Airlines' decision in early 2014 to reduce flights between Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins and North Bay contributed to the decline in passenger numbers for the Sudbury Airport.
In April, Bearskin also dropped its service to Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo.
But the second half of 2014, said Johnston, saw a one-per-cent increase in passenger traffic compared to the same period in 2013.
Porter Airlines' growth in Sudbury was the main contributor to the increase, he said.
In December 2014, Porter announced an interline partnership with New York-based JetBlue Airways that added 23 new destinations for the airline, including Orlando, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale and San Francisco amongst dozens of destinations in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
The move should benefit Porter, but Johnston said he suspects the impact on travellers from Sudbury will be minimal.
Boston Logan International Airport is JetBlue's main hub for all of its destinations, which means at least two connections for Sudbury travellers before they arrive at their final destination.
The benefits for Sudbury could be more indirect, Johnston said.
“As they (Porter) continue to grow, I think we're going to see better price points and more convenient travel,” he said.
An ongoing down-cycle in the mining sector also kept passenger numbers far off from the record year in 2012, when the Sudbury Airport accommodated 246,462 passengers.
“I'm not saying our economy is in the dumps,” Johnston said. “I'm just saying that it hasn't been as robust as it is during strong mining cycles.”
To support a third large carrier, such as WestJet – in addition to Air Canada and Porter – the Sudbury Airport would need to maintain at least 350,000 passengers per year.
But the egg could precede the chicken in this case, said Johnston, and Sudbury Airport could see a third large carrier could come to Sudbury before reaching the 350,000 mark.
When Porter came to Sudbury in 2010, the airport had around 160,000 passengers.
That number was not enough to support the carrier, Johnston said, but just two years later passenger numbers shot up to the record high of 246,462.
He said WestJet, or another large carrier, would likely have the same effect by creating more competition, lowering prices for airfare, and adding new destinations.
