Canadian Rockies International Airport is getting a funding boost from the federal government to help offset financial setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government’s Regional Air Transportation Initiative is supporting 13 rural airports in BC with a total investment of $18.8 million dollars, this includes $609,584 for Cranbrook’s airport.
Manager Tristen Chernove says the funds will help the self-sustaining rural airport offset some of the financial losses which were incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is retroactive really, to make up for the period during which we had the deepest losses due to the travel restrictions and travel bans,” Chernove says. “At which time, of course, the airport keeps running at almost twenty-four hours a day without having the normal revenue stream.”
Chernove is happy to see more people coming through the airport now that many restrictions on travel are being eased.
“The travel world really seems to be responding quickly to the opening of travel both domestically and internationally,” says Chernove. “I just want to remind everyone that we’re working hard here to see the airlines putting on robust schedules, and we just want to see people use those schedules as much as they can.”
He adds the airport runs on a self-sustaining model without financial assistance drawn from municipal taxes, so this funding boost is a big help in recouping pandemic-related losses.
Click here to learn more about the Canada Regional Air Transportation Initiative.
– Tristen Chernove – Manager, Canadian Rockies International Airport (Article includes statement from Government of Canada)
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