AIRPORT REVIEW
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When asked about nearterm goals , Ross highlighted a commitment to improve the passenger experience . New waiting areas , and enhanced dining and shopping options are in the works , as well as a covered airside walkway for the comfort of travelers flying in and out of St . John .
FROM PENNFIELD TO ST . JOHN
The current site was not always the location of St . John ’ s main airport . Before 1952 , the main commercial airport serving the St . John region was Pennfield Ridge , a Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) training base that opened in July 1941 and was decommissioned toward the end of World War II .
In 1947 , the Department of Transport took over the operation of Pennfield , and Trans Canada Airlines ( TCA ) opened operations there with its Douglas DC-3s . Starting on April 1 , 1947 , the airline conducted up to 10 daily flights from Pennfield , including service from Halifax to Boston ( BOS ) with stops in Yarmouth ( YQI ), and YSJ .
With the 1952 opening of the St . John Airport , located just 9.2 miles ( 15 km ) from the city , TCA moved its operations there . The new airport became aviation ’ s crown jewel in Southern New Brunswick , a catchment area of over 5,000sq km ( 1,930 square miles ). As the years went by , TCA introduced Vickers Viscounts and Vanguards on its St . John routes .
The airline rebranded as Air Canada ( AC ) in 1965 . Ever since , it has been the main service provider at St . John Airport . Air Canada ushered YSJ into the Jet Age with Douglas DC-9s that whisked passengers to the east coast cities of Halifax and Boston or to the shining lights of Toronto and Montreal . Today , AC offers services to the latter , its largest eastern hubs .
Throughout the decades , St . John Airport has seen airline
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partners come and go . The latest venture has been Flair ( F8 ), Canada ’ s first ultra-lowcost carrier based in Edmonton ( YEG ). The budget airline paused service at YSJ in October 2022 , and resumed it in March 2023 with three weekly flights to Toronto Pearson ( YYZ )— an upgrade over the two flights per week offered the previous year .
Ross said that Flair has seen strong performance at St . John Airport . “ We ’ re looking at other destinations with both those providers [ Air Canada and Flair ],” Ross said . The CEO aims
22 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2023 www . airwaysmag . com