Airports in Gaspé and the Baie-Comeau smelter will soon be served by Pascan Aviation.
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July 17, 2020 21h41
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Regional airline: Pascan will land in Gaspé and Baie-Comeau
Simon Carmichael
Initiative of journalism-local – The Sun
Recently dropped by Air Canada, the airports of Gaspé and Baie-Comeau will soon be served by Pascan Aviation. The carrier that specializes in regional transportation expands its offer by adding these two destinations to its network with effect from 17 August.
“We are able to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of Air Canada in the regional market,” says the co-owner of Pascan Aviation, Yani Gagnon. The quebec company, based in Longueuil, is already present in the market of regional airports. It serves, in particular, the airports of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, Bonaventure, and Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Bagotville, Mont-Joli, Sept-Îles and Fermont-Wabush. The Montréal-Trudeau airport is will also add to the carrier’s network.
“Our priority has always been to provide safe and reliable service while remaining attentive to the needs of the regions. There are currently a lot of discussion about the challenges of regional air transportation, and we decided to act immediately and to provide leadership in regional transportation,” says Julian Roberts, also a co-owner of the company, in a press release.
At Baie-Comeau, Friday, in the framework of his tour of the regions, the prime minister of Québec, François Legault, has said repeatedly that he was open to cross-subsidize the airlines desservants regions, conditions to obtain guarantees on the frequency of flights and the cost of tickets. The day before, while he was at Carleton-sur-Mer, in Gaspésie, quebec, Mr. Legault had said to try and solve this problem once and for all. “Probably that the Quebec government is going to have to give a subsidy to the carrier that has the best offer. Me, I want this to be set permanently.”
Reminder of the facts
On the 1st of July, Air Canada has announced to indefinitely suspend 30 regional airlines and close eight stations, regional airports, including several in the East-of-Québec. This decision has provoked an outcry from elected officials, but also of the population, who saw himself abandoned, again, by a national carrier.
The mayor of Gaspé, who is also chairman of the air transport committee of the Union of municipalities of Quebec, had said they want to “review the model of regional transport”, with a particular emphasis on the importance of finding an alternative to private-sector companies, such as the regional transportation is a service rather than a product, according to him.
