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Halifax Stanfield awards security contract to Commissionaires N.S.

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Halifax Stanfield International Airport Authority (HSIAA) has selected Commissionaires Nova Scotia as its new security provider, bringing experienced veterans and former RCMP officers into key security and customer service roles throughout the airport.

“When you’ve spent your life in uniform, service doesn’t end when the job does; it evolves,” said Barry Pitcher, CEO of Commissionaires Nova Scotia. He says it is the province’s only not-for-profit organization providing security and background screening services.

Pitcher says Commissionaires Nova Scotia reinvests in its employees and local communities. He explains that the airport contract will create stable job opportunities for veterans whose dedication to service is valued.

“We’re creating an environment where experienced, service-minded Nova Scotians, including veterans, can support passengers, airport staff, and the broader community in a way that is visible, calm, and people-focused,” Pitcher said, adding that the company’s partnership with HSIAA “is built on shared values: professionalism, accountability, and respect for the public.”

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Virgin Atlantic flight makes emergency landing in Halifax

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Passengers on a Virgin Atlantic flight heading to the UK had a very large delay when their plane made an emergency landing in Halifax.

The Halifax Airport Authority says it was around 2 a.m., Tuesday, when the flight 148 from Toronto to London, Heathrow had a reported “aircraft issue”.

Emergency crews were ready to help but the A350 landed safely around 2:45 a.m.

It was 2:30 p.m. when passengers departed to their destination.

We have reached out to Virgin Atlantic for more details.

remote-airport-ministry-of-transportation-photo MTO photo

Kiiwetinoong MPP critical of government’s commitment to remote airports in northern Ontario

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The Ford government is being accused of walking away from its responsibility to improve remote airports in northern Ontario.

Kiiwetinoong’s Sol Mamakwa says the Ministry of Transportation is no longer a member of a regional committee that lobbied the government earlier this year.

The Northern Ontario Aviation Committee (NOAC) was restarted by regional air carriers two years ago to help address issues impacting air services in northern Ontario.

Several government agencies have also been members, including the MTO until recently.

“The Ministry of Transportation’s Remote Airports Office in Thunder Bay walked away from the Northern Ontario Aviation Committee at the same time, this government is forcing an expansion to Billy Bishop Airport that nobody asked for,” stated Mamakwa in the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday.

“Why is this government walking away from their responsibility to improve air transportation in northern Ontario?”

While sidestepping the question of the MTO’s involvement in NOAC, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, Hardeep Singh Grewal, addressed the importance of the Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto and the benefits it will provide to northern Ontario.

“I had the opportunity to talk to many people from the north during committee hearings, and the conversations that we were having were all about how this is going to expand air transportation, not only for those individuals who are travelling down from the north to Toronto to have medical appointments, visits, their friends and family, go to sporting events and games,” said Grewal.

“It’s also going to help hospitals send more doctors up into the north and bring more patients and doctors back down into the airport and utilize that between Toronto and downtown Toronto’s core.”

In an email to Acadia News, a spokesperson for the MTO indicates that $24.9 million is being spent during the 2025-26 fiscal year to ensure the 29 remote airports in Ontario’s Far North are safe, compliant, and dependable.

They also mention that two studies are underway that will guide future upgrades and long-term investment in those airports.

No mention was given to the MTO’s involvement in NOAC.

North Star Air

Council earmarks $500,000 to bring air passenger service back to Fort Frances

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Air passenger service is close to returning to Fort Frances.

Town Council has agreed to set aside $500,000 over two years to help bring Thunder Bay-based North Star Air into the community.

The town is also committing $40,000 on marketing.

An agreement states the first flights would come on June 1st.

Mayor Andrew Hallikas says it is important to have air passenger service back.

“Fort Frances, right now, is in transition, and I believe that we’re at a cusp, we’re on the brink of some very vigorous economic activity and development, and we’re going to need a passenger service now more than ever as professionals and workers will start flying into Fort Frances,” says Hallikas.

Hallikas notes that Kenora and Dryden are doing the same thing to give the airline a push to be successful.

All three communities lost air passenger service in January 2024 when Bearskin pulled its flights.

North Star began flights to Kenora earlier this year.

Hallikas says his conversations with the company’s vice-president, Tom Meilleur, indicate they want to see the service be a success.

“He’s a really willing partner. He’s willing to tailor the service to our needs,” says Hallikas.

“He’s willing to use larger or smaller aircraft if needed. He’s willing to cancel flights if nobody’s on those flights. He wants it to be a success as much as we want it to be a success.”

The agreement between the town and the airline notes that the service needs at least $780,000 in net revenue to be sustainable.

A project loss of $171,000 is planned for in the first year.

The airline is proposing three flights weekly, using a Pilatus PC-12 that has the capacity to carry as many as nine passengers.

Ticket prices are set between $450.00 to under $800.00, depending on when a passenger books.

Delta Airlines Boeing 737 in New York sky before landing at JFK Airport

Charlottetown airport to be renamed after former P.E.I. premier

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The airport in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is about to be renamed after a former long-time premier.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon made the announcement, Monday, that the province’s main airport will be Charlottetown Alexander B. Campbell Airport.

Campbell was the longest-serving premier of P.E.I. after entering politics in 1965 before leading his party later that year. He was elected premier in 1966 to 1978 as one of the youngest Canadians to hold office.

“Alexander B. Campbell was a great statesman whose vision, dedication, and sense of duty profoundly shaped modern Prince Edward Island. Renaming the Charlottetown airport in his honour recognizes a leader who worked tirelessly to strengthen Prince Edward Island’s economy and modernize its infrastructure,” says MacKinnon in a statement.

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Renewed calls for airport improvements in northern Ontario

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A plea for improvements to Ontario’s northern airports.

Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says many airports in remote parts of the province are inadequate.

Most have gravel runways, aging terminal buildings and a lack of staff to properly manage them.

“Safety is a big concern at these airports,” says Mamakwa.

“But here in Toronto, the Premier’s priority is buying a jet that can’t land at any of them.”

Mamakwa adds that the airports are lifelines for the First Nations who rely on them.

But he says air passenger service has become too expensive for many.

“I checked on a flight from Big Trout Lake, one-way ticket from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug to Thunder Bay, today cost $1,800, one-way,” says Mamakwa.

The NDP member says the provincial government should be investing in northern Ontario’s air transportation system instead of in plans for the Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sakaria says they are working to improve the airports and develop more infrastructure.

“We’ll also work with our federal partners on any remote airports or airports in general, as they are partners in all of those projects with this province,” says Sakaria.

He adds northern Ontario will benefit from the province’s plans for the Billy Bishop Airport.

He notes that area municipal leaders are excited about the expansion plans, saying they will improve access to communities that are not often serviced.

“So as we build out this plan to support communities in the north to provide passengers, air passengers with more options, for cheaper options because of more competition in the market, the north will be a key part of that,” says Sakaria.

North Star Air

Fort Frances mayor confident on return of air passenger service

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Air passenger services could be returning to Fort Frances in the near future.

The town is in talks with North Star Air.

Town officials got an opportunity to check out the company earlier this month, when they flew to Thunder Bay to view North Star’s operations.

Mayor Andrew Hallikas is impressed with the Thunder Bay-based company.

“They’re a really good company,” says Hallikas.

“I’m really impressed with them, and I’m really impressed with their philosophy, which is to form a partnership with the community that they’re serving. They’re really willing to be flexible in terms of providing this air service, which bodes well for us.”

As part of the negotiations, town council agreed to set aside $60,000 for marketing purposes.

Hallikas says a recent report suggested there was support for a return to air passenger services, and they want to ensure that that support translates into use.

“We need to really make sure it works, and they really want to make sure it works,” says Hallikas.

“And our end is to make sure that all of those people in the report that said that they would use this air service, use it.”

Fort Frances, along with Kenora and Dryden, lost air passenger service when Bearskin withdrew in January 2024, citing declining passenger loads as a reason.

North Star began flights to Kenora earlier this year.

Hallikas is confident a new service will be supported in Fort Frances.

There is still more talking to take place before the first flight by North Star happens.

Hallikas says the town has some areas at the airport to address, such as ticketing and servicing of the aircraft.

He puts no date as to when North Star could begin serving Fort Frances but expects it will not be long after negotiations are made final.

Bearskin temp screen cap

Dryden Airport optimistic about service return

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Promising study results have Dryden Airport officials optimistic about the return of passenger service.

Julien Carron of InterVISTAs presented the findings of a Passenger Feasibility Study to city council last Monday, concluding with “a high level of confidence” that restoring air service is viable for the region.

“Air service is feasible. That’s full stop,” Carron told council. “What we have to look at now is scalability.”

Passenger service was terminated in 2024 after Bearskin Airlines left the region. Kenora and Fort Frances were left without service as well.

“Travel levels in Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances have not rebounded to pre-COVID levels, posing significant challenges to the sustainability of our operations in these communities,” Bearskin’s parent company Perimeter Aviation said in a media release at the time. “Over the last year, the three destinations saw an average of two passengers per flight, reflecting the drastic reduction in demand for air travel in the region overall.”

Carron says strong pre‑pandemic demand and solid community support make the return of passenger service achievable.

“The community was very vocal about how important it was to get service back,” Carron said. “Not only to the economy, but the social factors in keeping connected to major hubs.”

He said there’s “a lot of movement” with airline companies beyond Bearskin, including Northstar, Pivot and PropAir.

“The great news right now is there are a lot of carriers operating in this space that are seeing the gap and seeing the need that Air Canada and say the top five (national carriers) are leaving behind or unable to fill,” Carron said.

Without air service, travel from Dryden to Thunder Bay can take up to seven hours via car in adverse winter road conditions.

“The north isn’t asking for a luxury,” said Maxx Kochar, Director of Airport Operations at Loomex Group, the firm responsible for the Dryden Airport. “It’s asking for a reliable link to essential services and opportunity. If the north is going to keep growing as an economic engine for Ontario and Canada, reliable connectivity is part of what makes that possible.”

Kochar says reliability is key to achieving pre-pandemic demand.

“The question came up: why did people stop flying?” Kochar said. “If you’re not meeting your customer’s requirements and expectations, they’re going to stop using your service. After enough cancellations and delays, people are going to choose driving.”

Carron says reliability concerns came up often in passenger surveys conducted by the firm.

“We have some competing forces on the regulation side of things as far as pilot hours, duty times and such,” Carron said. “We also have some challenges with equipment, aging equipment in our aircraft fleet. Shortages of pilots and shortages of mechanics are fighting against us when we talk about these size markets and some of the regional carriers.”

“But nonetheless […] I’m happy to say that (the Dryden Airport) is in a very good position as far as infrastructure is concerned.”

Kochar says he believes Dryden could be a hub for travel between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg.

“A realistic start that they’re talking about is four round trips a week (to and from Thunder Bay and Winnipeg)”, Kochar said. “Compared to other airports it’s small, but at least you know that if you fly in you have the ability to leave again in a reasonable amount of time. A lot of business travelers will fly in, have a meeting, then fly out. So at least they’ll know they can do that.”

white and red airplane under blue sky during daytime

St. Stephen launches public survey for airport master plan

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St. Stephen is asking residents and businesses to help shape the future of the St. Stephen (Giddens Memorial) Airport as work begins on a new master plan.

The Municipal District of St. Stephen said it has partnered with the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission and hired HM Aero Aviation Consulting to prepare the plan.

The work will assess the airport’s current role in the region, identify opportunities to increase its economic impact and social benefits, and outline a costed multiyear strategy based on community priorities.

Community engagement is a key part of the project, according to St. Stephen.

HM Aero is collecting input from residents, businesses and stakeholders through an online survey.

All responses are voluntary and anonymous, and the information will only be used by HM Aero and the municipality for the master plan.

The survey opened on Monday and closes January 30.

gray asphalt road under blue sky during daytime

Infrastructure funding program sought for small Ontario airports

A plea to the provincial government for a capital assistance program for small airports.

The Airport Management Council of Ontario says they struggle to find funding to maintain runways, lighting and other safety features.

Speaking before a legislative committee holding pre-budget hearings, Chief Executive Officer Laura McNeice would like a program similar to those in some western provinces.

“What we are bringing forward. . . we are proposing the creation of the Ontario Airport Capital Assistance Program,” says McNeice.

“We envision this program would be a $10 million program annually that is set aside by the Government of Ontario.”

McNeice says it would be administered by the Ministry of Transportation, and would be open to small airports and aerodromes that are not eligible for funding under a federal program.

McNeice says those airports are vital for services such as air ambulance, Ministry of Natural Resources wildfire suppression efforts and policing air operations.

McNeice says they are also key to economic development and tourism.

There are over 40 municipally-owned small airports, with another 18 publicly-owned that do not qualify for the federal capital assistance program.

Fort Frances lost its funding when Bearskin withdrew air passenger services.

McNeice says it leaves municipalities with having to bear the full cost of airport repairs.

“The municipalities are becoming more cash-strapped,” says McNeice.

“They have tighter budgets, and they are making decisions on what they are going to do with their funds. They may be able to continue with the operational aspect of it, but the safety of the airports is diminishing.”

Northern airports have access to funding through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, but the Council says that is geared toward new facilities.

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