By Skies Magazine | May 3, 2023 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 41 seconds.
Flair Airlines on May 2 announced it has selected Calgary International Airport (YYC) as the location for its newest base of operations. Calgary joins the airline’s seven other bases at Edmonton (YEG), Abbotsford (YXX), Waterloo (YKF), Ottawa (YOW), Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), and Tucson, Arizona (TUS).
The ultra-low-cost carrier, which is headquartered in Edmonton, said in a press release that the new base at YYC is “a significant investment of resources and personnel, and signals Flair Airlines’ continued growth in Canada.”
By July this year, Flair plans to have three aircraft, a maintenance facility and hangar at the Calgary base. Moreover, the airline intends to add four new destinations departing from Calgary, including Calgary to London starting in July, and Calgary to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, beginning this fall. All of this is expected to create roughly 150 new jobs for pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff.
Including the four new routes, Flair offers 15 destinations from Calgary. The airline noted that its seat growth from Calgary is up 46 percent so far in 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.
“Our relationship with Calgary International Airport will continue to provide benefits to Albertans who have been paying far too much for air travel,” said Stephen Jones, president and CEO of Flair Airlines. “We know our presence in Calgary results in lower fares, more options for Canadian travellers, and strong economic activity in the region. We’re proud of our growing crew in Calgary and grateful to the community for supporting us as we establish our Calgary base.”
The news of the new Calgary base comes less than two months after the airline was caught in a commercial dispute with the parent company of three of its aircraft lessors, Airborne Capital. On March 10, four of Flair’s Boeing 737 aircraft were detained without notice. Two of the aircraft were based at Pearson, one at Edmonton, and one at Waterloo.
According to a Global News report, Airborne Capital said that Flair was behind in payments, which justified moving the aircraft. However, Flair has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the lessors involved in the dispute, stating that even though it paid the lessors days later, the aircraft were still seized. Flair also believes that the lessors found a better deal to lease or sell the four seized aircraft to another company, and that it was all part of an orchestrated plan.
Currently, Flair has 18 aircraft in operation, including two 737-800s and 16 737 Max 8s — according to the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. The airline announced in early March that it would be adding another six aircraft to its then-fleet of three 737-800s and 19 737 Max 8s by the summer. This was just days before four of its aircraft were seized and taken out of service.
Nonetheless, the airline said in its latest announcement that it plans to continue disrupting the “Canadian aviation market with the lowest fares on offer,” and that it “has plans for continued expansion.”
Flair said it estimates that 5,800 jobs were created as a result of its activity in 2022, which generated over $890 million in economic output in regions across Canada. The carrier also estimates that it saved Canadians $256 million in airfare last year.
