An airline connecting Comox and Vancouver for the last 20 years says it will shut down the route next month due to reduced passenger loads.
Central Mountain Air said it will discontinue the several flights it currently offers daily between the two cities effective Feb. 22.
“We have seen a large increase in capacity over the last few years with the entry of the major airlines directly and indirectly,” the company said in a statement. “This in turn has driven our passenger loads down, and along with increased airport costs have led to our decision.”
Several passengers who spoke to CTV News said they were surprised to hear about the discontinuation, saying the flights were convenient for work purposes.
It’s a decision that caught even the Comox Airport Commission off-guard.
“It did surprise us to a certain extent like anything else, we had no pre-warning as to this happening,” said president Frank van Gisbergen. “They’ve been here for 20 years, they’ve been here a long time, so we do regret seeing them leave. Especially because they’re a long term tenant.”
The end of service of the Air Canada partner means local travel agencies are suddenly scrambling to make changes.
Staff at Square One Travel said the airline had great scheduling that connected travellers to more distant destinations.
“It’s a huge impact right now and anybody that we’ve already got booked with Central Mountain Air, it means changing their itineraries, making changes to their flights, hoping that we can get something suitable to match,” said Susan Davies. “Unless somebody else steps up and covers that timeslot it is going to affect a lot.”
The airport commission said the hunt is already on to try to find another carrier to fill the void.
With a report from CTV Vancouver Island's Gord Kurbis
