Saskatoon airport traffic still below pre-pandemic levels

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The Saskatoon Airport Authority (SAA) says passenger traffic in 2022 was about 64 per cent of 2019 levels.

“While pleased to see stronger than forecasted passenger traffic for the year, the airport continues to recover from pandemic impacts on the aviation industry,” an SAA news release said.

The removal of travel restrictions in the fall of 2022 led to a surge in travel, “with passenger traffic recovering to upwards of 80 per cent of 2019 volumes during that period,” the airport authority said.

Some of the highlights for the airport last year include Flair returning to offer flights from Saskatoon to Toronto and Vancouver, Swoop Airlines offering service from Saskatoon for the first time, as well as WestJet’s return of nonstop service to Las Vegas, Orlando and Phoenix. Over the summer Air Canada offered a route to Montreal where passengers to connect to flights into Europe, the SAA said.

“We sincerely value the partnership and collaboration we have seen from our airlines and community in 2022 as we continue to adapt and evolve in meeting current and future demands,” SAA president and CEO Stephen Maybury said in the release.

“We continue to reflect on lessons learned through the pandemic and are committed to becoming even more resilient as we look to the future.”

Last year, the airport also started restoration work on the primary runway, which is expected to be completed this year.