Traffic continues to grow at Bathurst Regional Airport
February 3rd, 2012
The Bathurst Regional Airport has enjoyed another record year as far as passenger traffic is concerned. Passenger traffic continued to grow in 2011, increasing by 8% compared to 2010. “In 2010, 40,002 passengers came through our doors. In 2011, we welcomed 43,425 passengers. That’s significant,” expressed Ms. Jennifer Henry, Executive Director of the Northern New Brunswick Airport Authority Inc.
“These growing numbers demonstrate the importance of the airport to our region,” continued Ms. Henry. She attributes this growth in part to a year-long media campaign extolling the benefits of having a regional airport in northern New Brunswick. She also acknowledges the number of trades people using the airport to access labour markets in other parts of the country and the world has also positively impacted passenger growth. “Accessing labour markets outside our region is a growing reality for a significant number of northern New Brunswick’s population. If the airport can help these people access gainful employment elsewhere while maintaining their roots and homes in the region, we think it’s an important service to offer,” voiced Ms. Henry.
With growing numbers come growing pains. “The Board of Directors identified very early in its strategic plan that the terminal building is bursting at the seams. It directly impacts customer service and we are working tirelessly to educate the various political players of the importance of helping us meet the expansion needs of our airport,” expressed Mr. Stephen Brunet, President.
“We are also working on providing more direct air access to existing and growing markets in Labrador and northern Quebec, bringing even more traffic into our airport. One of the challenges we face is the bottleneck situation these potential routes can create. We simply do not have enough space to accommodate more growth,” continued Mr. Brunet.
The Airport Authority is also pleased to announce that its cancellation percentage for 2011 has remained well under industry standards for the size of the airport. “In 2011, there were a total of 39 cancelled flights. That represents 2% of all scheduled flights in and out of Bathurst Regional Airport,” reported Ms. Henry. “Considering that the industry standard requires us to maintain a 96% usability factor, I’d say we’re doing very well.”