New WestJet flights won't ground Comox Valley Airport's impressive numbers

WestJet recently spread its wings a little bit farther down Vancouver Island.

Starting June 24, WestJet's new Encore regional service will introduce flights for Nanaimo-Calgary, Victoria-Vancouver, and Fort St. John-Vancouver.

The latest flights will have implications on the services from Comox Valley Airport but chief executive officer, Fred Bigelow, said it's going to be minimal.

Bigelow had the opportunity to meet with WestJet Encore president Ferio Pugliese on Monday, who visited the Comox Valley following the major announcement.

"We had a good chat. They've looked at it and they have done some analysis," said Bigelow. "It will have an impact on some of the passengers that previously came up from the mid-Island - Nanaimo area - through Comox but pretty small. All-in-all it won't have an impact on WestJet's operation out of Comox."

WestJet Encore will use its first two 78-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops for the new services. There will be one flight each way daily on the new routes. The Victoria-Vancouver service continues on to Fort St. John and Calgary; the Nanaimo-Calgary service is non-stop. Bigelow said WestJet will continue to use the larger 737 airplanes out of Comox.

"There are no changes planned for service to/from YQQ," said WestJet spokesperson Robert Palmer. "We believe in both markets (Nanaimo and Comox) and do not believe we will see an adverse impact in either one. In fact, we see growth in both."

YQQ had a record year in 2012. It served more than 327,000 passengers last year, setting a new record. It surpassed the previous record of 310,450 passengers in 2007, representing a six per cent growth, which was double the targeted goal outlined in the CVA's strategic plan.

Bigelow said that the airport commission will be reviewing its strategic plan to determine whether they are on track with its goals like the upgrade on Runway 12 and the clearing of trees protruding into the Comox aerodome that has led to Transport Canada imposing landing restrictions at YQQ, keeping commercial flights from landing if they cannot see the runway at 500-foot elevation. The previous height was set at 200 feet. It has caused flight cancellations during adverse weather and foggy conditions.

"My aim is to get all these issues cleared up before the winter weather sets next fall," said Bigelow. "So the base will be in full capacity."

One of the improvements that will help the airport, said Bigelow, is the instrument landing system that has a precision approach. It provides flight path information on Runway 12 and will also be available on Runway 30.

"That's really a pretty significant increase in capability," said Bigelow. "The hope is to complete that before the weather becomes an issue next fall."

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