N.L. airports soaring toward recovery from COVID-19 pandemic

Last year, the number of passengers flying in and out of the St. John's International Airport returned to pre-pandemic levels, something the head of the airport authority says is a good sign of things to come.

Dennis Hogan, CEO of the St. John's International Airport Authority, says the 2024 passenger count reached almost 1.4 million, up about 9.4 per cent from 2023.

"COVID really hit the aviation and the airport sector incredibly hard. So it's fair to say that we're back to a more typical level of traffic and we're optimistic for the future," Hogan told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

To rebuild the airline routes, a focus was on major travel hubs in Canada like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, he said.

"Airports that are more regional in nature — like YYT and other such airports around the country — it took us a bit longer to get there," Hogan said.

The airport authority is anticipating further growth this year, but Hogan says there's a caveat due to the economic uncertainty in Canada and across the globe.

"I would imagine that that will have some impact. Overall, it's really hard to predict at this point," he said.

Cross-border flights into the U.S. were once a priority, but because of the trade war, it has "thrown a degree of caution" into growing routes to the south. 

"But that's something that's still very much on our radar," said Hogan.

Still, the St. John's airport is heading into the busy summer season and there's an added boost this year with the Canada Summer Games landing in St. John's in August.

Gander on track

In central Newfoundland, Gander International Airport hasn't bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, just yet, but it is on the right path, says president and CEO Reg Wright.

"I think 2024 was a measured step of progress toward where we need to be as the airport recovers," he told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

"So it wasn't a confetti and fireworks type celebratory year. But that said, I think every transformation is the sum of 1,000 small steps."

In its annual general meeting report released this week, the airport authority announced it had served 115,978 passengers in the past year, a 6.5 per cent increase over 2023 but still 33 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

"All things considered, it is a good step in the right direction. It hasn't happened nearly as fast as any of us want, but it does require some patience," said Wright.

Wright says things are looking good for this summer season, pointing to Air Canada adding a second Toronto flight as well as PAL's new inter-provincial loop between Gander, Deer Lake and St. John's and increased routes to Labrador.

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