Thunder Bay

Taking off! Busy summer helps Ontario airport passenger numbers soar

The Thunder Bay International Airport keeps setting records, as more than 220,000 passengers flew in and out of the northwestern Ontario city during the summer of 2016.

Airport says over 220K passengers flew in and out of Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay Airport reported a four per cent increase in the number of passengers flying in and out of the facility in July and August 2016. (Jody Porter/CBC)

The Thunder Bay International Airport keeps setting records, as more than 220,000 passengers flew in and out of the northwestern Ontario city during the summer of 2016.

In a press release Monday, CEO Ed Schmidtke stated that the airport saw a four per cent increase in passenger traffic, likely because of a sharp increase in use by U.S. residents.

The increased traffic also aided passengers seeking more deals in the skies, he said.

"The additional capacity resulted in lower air fares for the summer," Schmidtke said, "these price reductions stimulated flying by residents on both sides of the border."

Schmidtke also said that the numbers from this summer bode well for the future.

"With additional fall capacity provided by Air Canada, Westjet, Porter, Bearskin and Wasaya Airways, we are optimistic that this growth trend will continue."