Charlottetown Airport's summer schedule filling up as more flights added

More flights have been added to the Charlottetown Airport's summer schedule.

Last week, Flair Airlines announced it would provide non-stop service between Charlottetown and Ottawa every Monday, Wednesday and Friday beginning July 6.

Wednesday, it announced non-stop service to Kitchener-Waterloo Thursdays and Sundays beginning June 9.

The new flights complement Flair's existing service between Toronto and Charlottetown that started in August 2021.

Doug Newson, CEO of the Charlottetown Airport Authority, said the new flights bode well for the upcoming tourist season.

"The increased low fare capacity for our market will provide convenient access for families, friends, and visitors looking to come to Prince Edward Island to explore all we have to offer and also allow for convenient access to our nation's capital for Islanders," he said in a news release.

Air Canada offers year-round direct service to Charlottetown from Montreal and Toronto and summer service to Ottawa. WestJet offers year-round service to Toronto and summer service to Calgary.

Hit hard by pandemic

Earlier this month, the airline Swoop announced it will be offering non-stop service to Charlottetown from Toronto and Hamilton starting in early May. It will also offer directservice to Edmonton this summer.

It's abit of relief for for the Charlottetown Airport, which hasbeen hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Theairport had 111,160 passengers in 2021 compared to around 71,000 the previous year, when the pandemic began.

That makes up roughly 29 per cent of the record-breaking number of passengers in 2019, which was more than 383,000.