Quebec renews program for discounted regional flights
Ticket prices will be reduced up to 85% for some flights starting in February
Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault says the government will be launching a new version of its program to make flights to remote regions more affordable.
The government has increased the budget to $55 million for 2025-26 and 2026-27 to support the renewed Programme d'accès aérien aux régions (PAAR) and meet the expected increase in demand for tickets, according to a news release published on Tuesday.
Guilbault's announcement comes a year after Quebec airline Pascan Aviation stopped offering flights from Mont-Joli in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region to cities including Sept-Îles in the Côte-Nord.
In 2023, Pascan Aviation cut down on flights to areas that weren't financially viable, citing the Quebec government ending its aid program to support air travel in some remote regions.
Guilbault told a news conference in Gaspé on Tuesday that through PAAR, Quebecers will be able to benefit from discounts of 50 to 85 per cent on airline tickets, which will be applied directly to their purchase from a participating carrier.
Changes to the program will run from Feb. 3, 2025, to March 31, 2027.
PAAR will also be expanded to allow non-profit organizations to benefit from discounted tickets as of next year. Tickets will be available for sale more than six months in advance.
The program resulted from an intervention group chaired by the transport minister. The group was tasked in July 2020 with assessing solutions to ensure the viability of regional air services in the long term.
With files from Radio-Canada's Michèle Bouchard, prepared by Holly Cabrera