Just months after launching a new service at the Jack Garland Airport, Propair has announced it’s ending flights between Toronto and North Bay -- at least for now. “The response from the public did not meet expectations,” Propair said in a statement announcing its decision. “For this reason, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend our flights to North Bay for an indefinite period, effective Aug. 1.” While the company said the city is “a destination we care about,” it’s unclear when flights will resume. “This is a pause rather than a permanent end,” the statement said. “We do not yet know when or how we will resume our services to North Bay.” Propair, a regional carrier based out of Quebec, began the flights in February using a Beechcraft 1900D aircraft that can carry up to 18 passengers. It flew between Jack Garland and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Rouyn-Noranda, Propair offers scheduled commercial flights, charter services, cargo operations and aeromedical evacuation services. High fuel costs a factor Bryan Avery, manager of the Jack Garland Airport, said in an email to CTV News that a number of factors are behind Propair’s announcement. “Overall, the summer season has been challenging,” Avery said. “Higher fuel prices affected all airlines, and some have had to significantly adjust their schedule and service to address that. This has not been only in North Bay.” The challenging travel season meant advance booking numbers weren’t strong enough to maintain the service, Avery added. “This is often the case; however, this is challenging for any airline to schedule frequent ... service and especially so for an airline that’s just started the route and is faced with other pressures that the industry is currently experiencing,” he said. “That said, we are working together to see what’s possible in the future. We’re collectively taking this pause as an opportunity to review and plan for successful services in the future.” “While Propair has chosen to suspend flights at this time, we appreciate their willingness to explore future possibilities and will continue working with them and other carriers to strengthen air service options for our region,” Avery added.
