Recent update shows it will now be operated by a Finnair A359 4x weekly. (The YHZ operation shows the same now too).

So I guess it hasn't been "completely" cut yet.

Something I've really noticed since travel has been reopening is the amount of expansion of flights at both Pearson Airport and Kitchener-Waterloo Airport, while London's airport continues to be treated as a backwater with next to no service other than Air Canada connecting flights to/from YYZ. Swoop is resuming London-Edmonton flights this summer but otherwise the only other service at YXU these days is a daily WestJet flight to Calgary. International flights have also not yet returned to YXU, despite there being no restrictions on international flights there anymore. In the final year prior to the pandemic, YXU had gained new services to Halifax and Abbotsford, and I know they also used to have flights to Ottawa and Montreal.

I wonder what the holdup is with YXU, and why Flair hasn't expanded there at all and Swoop is so slow to restore services there compared to other cities. They've actually added quite a few daily flights out of Pearson, which they did not have prior to the pandemic. With London's population now over 400,000 and rapidly growing, I think the airlines are neglecting London at their own peril - but I also wonder how much effort YXU management is putting into attracting commercial airlines there.

I visit my family in London multiple times per year and I really, really, really do not like having to fly through Pearson. I went to London a couple of weeks ago, I had to fly to Toronto and then wait over three hours for a Robert Q bus; there were about 20-25 of us waiting for the Robert Q, which tells me there's quite a bit of unmet demand for flights to London. There's absolutely no way to get to K-W Airport from London without driving, and getting to Pearson from London is not fun, particularly with all the construction on the 401 around Milton and Mississauga.

^ Flair probably chose YKF because of it's proximity to both Toronto and London. Also the population of Kitchener-Waterloo is slightly greater than that of London, which helps as well.

That's really all that separates YKF from YXU in terms of airline service. Flair.

And inversely, YXU has AC Express, whereas YKF doesn't, again because of the latter's proximity to Toronto.

It all makes sense, really.

Besides, YXU has always been the busier airport in terms of pax. We'll see if that changes with Flair at YKF.

YKF also has the likes of Woodstock, Guelph and even Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton (YHM's competing not just with YYZ anymore but now also YKF) to pull from and while Brantford is a bit closer to YHM, isn't much further to YXU or YKF in opposite directions.

AC are planning on brining back YXU-YUL for summer 2023 on a daily DH4.

YHZ-YXU I'm sure will come back on an ULCC, same with YWG-YXU. Don't forget, not only are Flair now all-in on YKF (also skipping out currently on YHM too), but they've also surrounded London with the addition of YQG.

With the DH3 retirement, I unfortunately can't see AC bringing back YXU-YOW, even though they flew the route for over 40 years. That would leave it to either a 2-4x weekly ULCC or Porter entering YXU with a daily DH4 to feed the future YOW jet base or someone like PAL or Pascan pushing further into Ontario.

Being in YOW, I can relate to YXU's slower recovery than other airports. On the international front, by the time the gov't green lighted YXU and the last batch of international airports to handle international flights again it was too late in the winter sun season. Those are all loaded up for next winter at least on TS & WG.

Lynx launched YYJ yesterday 2x/week to YYC: https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...840619387.html

Swoop launched YSJ yesterday 4x weekly to YYZ: https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...837851365.html

I would be happier with using YKF or YHM for these flights if there was a way to easily get to either airport without having to drive, particularly from London. Technically there is am HSR bus that goes to YHM from the GO Centre in downtown Hamilton, however when I last used it in 2018 (coming from Toronto) I recall it had a very limited schedule and didn't line up with when flights were actually arriving/departing there, so I arrived at the airport 4 hours before a flight.

Something run by GO Transit connecting the main GO stations in both Kitchener and Hamilton (and perhaps VIA Aldershot) would be very helpful.

AC will resume 4x weekly AC9/10 as YYZ-NRT for W22, without the stop on YYC.

This is on top of daily YYZ-HND, but downgauged to 788.


Other changes:
YVR-SYD increase to 10x weekly
YVR-BNE reduce to 5x weekly
YVR-AKL increase to 5x weekly
YYZ-BOM resumes with 4x weekly
YYZ-ICN reduce to 4x weekly
YUL-LIM resume with 2x weekly AC86/87
YYZ-LIM reduce to 3x weekly

https://twitter.com/FlyYKF/status/1525196390355324930

"Progress is moving ⏩FAST FORWARD⏩ with your YKF #airport boarding lounge expansion, #WaterlooRegion! Take a peek, the space is starting to really take shape. We're loving the bright, airy feel of it - aren't you? ������"
3:28 PM · May 13, 2022

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSqVxehX...jpg&name=large

WestJet has removed YEG-YUL from its summer schedule. YUL now down to YYZ, YYC, YVR and YHZ on WS.

Casualty of Flair starting up the route, it seems. 3 carriers seems like too much for YUL-YEG. This being said, seems WestJet didn’t even fight for the route. They could have Swooped it and lowered the fares before calling it quits. It only highlights even more the airlines’ weakness in Quebec.

You’d think Canada’s second largest airline wouldn’t drop a route from the second largest city in the country to the fifth largest that easily, and yet….

Yeah... agreed. WestJet did this on YOW-YEG but Swoop'ed it with a route announcement back in Feb/March.

Surprisingly... Swoop is flying YOW-YWG and WestJet is as well this summer...albeit I don't think WS is daily... but they did reintroduce this route 2/3x weekly throughout the pandemic... which AC has neglected. Good for WS on this!

I believe that WS only removed Saturday service on YOW-YWG this summer.

WS Group are now substantially larger at YOW than YUL…but that’s not saying much.

EDIT: I forgot to mention AC will soon be restarting YOW-YWG 1x daily on a CR9.

On a separate note, did any YYZers on here catch the Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 today? I saw it on tv.

Airline group calls on Ottawa to abandon current health measures at airports:

Regular travel and current public health measures can't coexist: Canadian Airports Council
-Passengers are being kept on planes for over an hour due to a lack of space at airports, council says
Laura Osman · The Canadian Press · Posted: May 17, 2022

International arrivals at Canadian airports are so backed up, people are being kept on planes for over an hour after they land because there isn't enough space for the long lineups of travellers, says the Canadian Airports Council.

The council blames COVID-19 protocols and has called on the federal government to do away with random tests and public health questions at customs to ease the serious delays passengers face when they arrive in Canada.

The extra steps mean it takes four times longer to process people as they arrive than it did before the pandemic, said the council's interim president Monette Pasher. That was fine when people weren't travelling, she said, but now it's become a serious problem.

"We're seeing that we clearly cannot have these public health requirements and testing at our borders as we get back to regular travel," she said.

The situation is particularly bad at Canada's largest airport, Toronto Pearson International, where passengers on 120 flights were held in their planes Sunday waiting for their turn to get in line for customs....

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tra...lays-1.6456655

PortsToronto released their annual report. Contained on page 42 are YTZ's pax stats.
https://www.portstoronto.com/getatta...port-2021.aspx

Thenoflyzone, here are the stats for you to update the wiki going back to 2019:
Earlier in the report they said April 2022 said over 100,000 pax that month.

^ thanks for that.

2019 and 2020 numbers were already posted in the previous annual statements and are on wiki. I'll add 2021.

As far as customs backlogs are concerned, this has been affecting YYZ the most, obviously, and for almost a year now. Last summer, they were holding passengers on the inbound aircraft as well. As international passenger numbers continue to rise, this will only get worse, and possibly even start affecting YUL and YVR as well, if it's not already the case. That arrivecan app bullshit needs to go.

Top 4 airports - International (incl. Transborder) passenger numbers in Q1 2022.

YYZ 3.2 million
YUL 1,471,908
YVR 1,160,239
YYC 661,750

JetBlue axes Vancouver-Boston route until Fall, JFK to YVR still a go though.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/jetblue-nixes-...ston-1.5909786


"Vancouver will still become the airline's first Canadian destination next month, however, as a planned route between Vancouver International Airport and New York-JFK "remains on track to launch June 9."

Swoop won't have in-seat power or wifi on their 737 MAX aircraft, making it on-par with Flair and Lynx.

I still don't see any routes operating on the MAX yet. The website does indicate some current flight schedules might have the aircraft type change.

https://www.flyswoop.com/boeing-737-MAX/

Several new international routes were launched from airports in Quebec this week !

Firstly, Air France inaugurated service to YQB on May 17. Operating 3x weekly with A332 until October 27. This is an amazing score for YQB, and even though TS is on the route, hopefully both of them can co-exist.

https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/n...nd%20Vancouver.

Short video of the inaugural landing at YQB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhH8BhTRj9w

Also, AC inaugurates YUL-SAN and YUL-MXP today. (The last time Montreal had MXP service was probably in the 80s and 90s, with Alitalia at YMX.) SEA service begins later this month on May 31. That will bring to 4 the number of non stops AC will have from YUL to the US west coast. (6 if we count PHX and LAS).

And let's not forget Transat, which inaugurated YUL-LAX on May 17 (now scheduled year round), YUL-SFO on May 19, and YUL-AMS earlier in the month on May 5.

https://canadiantravelnews.ca/2022/0...o-los-angeles/

Also, TS released its full winter 2022-2023 schedule.

https://canadianaviationnews.wordpre...-2023-program/

I am curious why Air Canada doesn't try service to CDG from YQB with their MAX 8. It would seem to be the perfect aircraft for a summer seasonal route.

Good for Air France for giving YQB some love though.