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Alesia Fieldberg, Video Journalist ~ Published Thursday, April 30, 2020
CALGARY — Travel restrictions and orders to stay home during the pandemic have seen Calgary airport traffic plummet, and an industry expert said Ottawa needs to step in.
Calgary-based aviation industry analyst Rick Erickson said Canadian airlines and airports won’t survive without financial assistance.
“I strongly believe the federal government in Canada must make some sort of program available.”
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Calgary Airport Authority said passenger volumes are expected to drop approximately 60 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019 and projects revenue losses of 40 to 50 per cent this year due to the impact of COVID-19.
Erickson said the United States and many European countries have provided funding to its aviation sectors and Canada’s industry is in dire need.
“The numbers truly are in the hundreds of millions of dollars and it looks like the federal government is the only agency that could backstop that.”