Greater Sudbury Airport survey gauges demand for more passenger service

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 280,000 travellers frequented the Sudbury airport each the year, but in 2023, that number was around 130,000. (Photo from video)

The Greater Sudbury Airport is conducting a survey in hopes of establishing a business case to support increased air passenger service to the airport.

“The survey is really to solicit feedback from all airport users, be it passengers, tenants, residents of our community, as well as businesses, to get their feedback on the services that they want and that are important to them,” said Christopher Pollesel, the airport’s manager of passenger experience and aviation security.

Each day before the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport hosted six to eight Air Canada flights and three by Porter Airlines. Post-pandemic, those flights have been reduced.

“Air Canada sees two daily flights to Toronto Pearson. Porter Airlines has one daily flight to the Toronto City Airport,” Pollesel said.

Pre-pandemic, 280,000 travellers frequented the airport each the year, but in 2023, that number was around 130,000.

Officials with Porter airlines said Tuesday that because of that reduction, there are no plans to increase flights.

“It's difficult to predict the future when it comes to any route and how that will evolve, but things are certainly different today than they were before the pandemic,” said Brad Cicero, Porter Airlines spokesperson.

“Demand has shifted fundamentally in terms of the mix between business travel and leisure travel and whether or not that returns to something that we had seen maybe five years ago remains (to be seen.”

Pollesel said while the airport may not be back to pre-pandemic traffic, the demand for more flights is there.

“What we do know is that, there is a strong demand for flights,” he said.

“Unfortunately, right now, in the absence of having more flight frequency, we're seeing very full flights, but unfortunately … we don't have the frequency that we would like to have yet. In the absence of more flights, what we are seeing is … significantly improved reliability from our airlines.”

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Pollesel said the survey will provide the airport with evidence and informed data to work with airlines to attract new services.

“Community engagement is absolutely vital when we're looking at building a case for air service at the Greater Sudbury Airport,” he said.

“It allows everyone to have their say and share the issues and the priorities that are important to them as travelling passengers, the travelling public as well as for their business. So for us, by having this survey out, we're able to get valuable feedback.”