Commuters can now take a flight between the Niagara region and Toronto.
On Tuesday morning, politicians, Niagara region officials and the Greater Toronto Airways announced the new scheduled flight service connecting Niagara District Airport and Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto.
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Officials with the Niagara District Airport Commission as well as Chris Nowrouzi, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airways, and Niagara region elected officials were on hand to announce the new flight service.
The route will be serviced by three aircraft.
Speaking at the Niagara District Airport on Tuesday, Nowrouzi said that he arrived by flight from Toronto in less than 15 minutes.
He said the new service connects Niagara and Toronto “in a different way than done before.”
During the 2016 season, there will be daily flights from Monday to Friday. A one-way flight will cost $85, while a round trip will cost $159.
Each flight will seat only eight people, but Nowrouzi said he and his business partners have been able to make the plan for the service “viable.”
In an interview with BNN, Nowrouzi said that the flight service will focus on business travel to start, and then move toward the tourism sector.
“We want to bring businesspeople back and forth between Niagara Falls and Toronto,” Nowrouzi said. “And then, after that, we’ll be focusing on the tourism sector and taking day trips and winery tours.”
Passengers will only need to show up at the airport 15 minutes prior to the flight, and Nowrouzi said the security clearance process will be “random selection” as people board the flight.
Nowrouzi said hot housing markets in Toronto and Niagara were a big consideration planning the new flight service.
“A lot of people are starting to retire in Niagara or have cottages in Niagara.”
With files from BNN
