Government ends subsidy on flights from Winnipeg to Atlanta, Los Angeles

The future of two direct flights from Winnipeg to Atlanta and Los Angeles is now up in the air after the province ended a subsidy.

A Manitoba government subsidy towards a pair of flights from Winnipeg to American airports is ending, Finance Minister Adrien Sala confirmed Thursday.

The government was spending $4.8 million through the Winnipeg Airport Authority to subsidize direct WestJet flights from Winnipeg to Atlanta and to Los Angeles. The money has been paid and the subsidy will not be renewed.

“This is essentially us having fulfilled our commitment,” Sala said.

The WestJet flights to Los Angeles began in 2022 under the Heather Stefanson government. The government said at the time, the support was to provide a direct route between Winnipeg and Los Angeles to “connect Manitoba’s film industry with Hollywood.”

Five-times-a-week, year round flights to Atlanta started a year later in order to “boost economic opportunities” according to the government in 2023.

That was meant to connect Winnipeg to a major Delta Air Lines centre and enable quicker connections across the world.

Sala noted that travel to the United States has seen a decline this year since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president.

“We trust that the Winnipeg Airport Authority will continue to do their good work of managing their business and moving us forward,” Sala said.

Sala added the province has increased spending for tourism by $4.5 million, with the goal of encouraging people to visit Manitoba.

WestJet examining U.S.-Canada flight schedules

WestJet spokesperson Jen Booth told CTV News Winnipeg in a statement it is currently reviewing its transborder schedule “due to the changing demand surrounding travel to the United States.”

Updates are expected in the next few weeks.

WestJet recently announced new flights this summer between Winnipeg and St. John’s and expanded the number of flights between Winnipeg and Halifax due to increased demand for travel to the east coast and Europe.

Kerilee Falloon, acting director of marketing and communications with the Winnipeg Airport Authority, said they have not been informed of any confirmed route changes that haven’t already been announced.

“While it’s still too soon to fully understand the long-term impact of the current economic climate on air travel and we have not yet seen significant impact to air travel, we do expect that there could be changes in the coming weeks and months as airlines assess market demand,” Falloon said in a statement. “We’re in ongoing conversations with our airline partners, and are prepared to adapt as needed.”