[Taeolas]

COVID impact on the NB airports

New Brunswick's three largest airports are counting up their losses for 2020 and bracing for more lean years to follow.

"We've seen a 94 per cent decrease in passenger traffic and a 15 per cent decrease in cargo," said Moncton airport CEO Bernard Leblanc, who now expects revenue for the year to fall from $20 million to $8.5 million.

"There's no Air Canada activity and no Porter activity," said Leblanc, "Sunwing and Air Transat, with their southern destinations, ceased all activities in the mid-March timeframe."

As a result, Moncton took a hit at what should have been its busiest time.

Normally, March and April combined would bring some 140-thousand passengers through the doors — most of them looking for holiday sun.

Instead, Leblanc says the only service is WestJet, which comes five times a week from Toronto.

The only way to reach New Brunswick by Air Canada, is to catch the one daily flight to Fredericton, where airport CEO Johanne Gallant says passenger traffic has fallen by 70 per cent.

Meanwhile, she says she's dealing with high fixed costs, such as runway maintenance, which has to be done to the same standard whether one plane is landing or ten.

In Saint John, those fixed costs are running at least $400,000 per month, even though its arrivals and departures board is empty.

CEO Derrick Stanford says no commercial flights means a projected $1.5 million surplus will probably turn into a $1.5 million deficit.