Condor is such a big Canada booster, it's nice to see how they give and share the love between so many destinations across the county, coast to coast. And they've served small and mostly neglected airports like Whitehorse even. I worked for Air North for a few years in the mid 2000s, I was based in YVR but the airline is Yukon through and through, no matter what other base you were at, Whitehorse was king and you could never forget the airline existed to serve Yukoners first and foremost, which I always respected. Air North did the ground handling for Condor at YXY in the summer, and it was really cool for somewhere like that to have a non-stop European connection, and cool for the crews to service a widebody (it was always a 767). They operated this route for ~20 years I think, limited weekly seasonal frequency but still, a big score for YXY.
Unfortunately, YXY is undergoing runway maintenance for the next 2 years, so Condor has cancelled their YXY service. Sadly, even when the runway maintenance is done, apparently Condor may not be back, and it isn't due to lack of demand.. See below:
Condor Airlines won't fly to Yukon for at least the next 2 summers
Uncertain if German airline will ever return to Whitehorse, as runway won't accommodate larger planes
At the same time, Condor will switch next year from using smaller Boeing 767 aircraft to larger Airbuses A330s, and the new planes will be too big for the Whitehorse's alternate runway. So, after Labour Day, the airline won't be able to fly in and out of Whitehorse for at least the next two years.
And even after work on the runway finishes, Condor might not be able to return to the Yukon.
In an email to CBC News, the Yukon government says that even once the runway is repaved, the airport may not be able to accommodate the Airbuses that Condor will be flying.
"There are additional airport improvements, staffing, and procedural systems that would be required to accommodate this larger aircraft safely," said Tourism and Culture department spokesperson Cameron Webber.
"The airport can only intake planes of this size under emergency circumstances."
CBC News contacted Condor Airlines but did not receive a response before publication.
Repaving the runway, Webber wrote, is intended to ensure "the shipment of personnel, goods, critical medical services," and to support Yukon's tourism and resource sectors, as well as Arctic security.
To help maintain travel to and from Germany, the government, along with the Crown corporation Destination Canada, will jointly spend $120,000 to market indirect flights that connect Yukon's Air North with Condor flights to other Canadian cities, Webber said.
Most German-speaking Europeans who visit Whitehorse already connect through Vancouver, Webber added — about 15,000 people annually, compared to 7,000 through Condor's direct flights.
Air North is already connecting Condor passengers to Whitehorse through other Canadian cities such as Edmonton and Vancouver, said Ben Ryan, spokesperson for the Yukon airline. He says they're also streamlining those connections.
"So next year, your bags will automatically transfer — and hopefully that'll start sooner, like this summer," Ryan said.
He says Air North is now also working to offer more convenient connecting flights through those other cities, in line with Condor's schedule.
I personally didn't realize there was THAT much of a difference between the A330 and the B767, I always thought they were somewhat in the same ballpark of planes (yes I know the A330-900 that Condor flies is bigger, but I didn't think it was that much of a difference to cause an issue like this). It was a replacement for Condor's 767 (as it is for many airlines such as Delta), so it's not like we're going from an old-school 767-200 up to a 777-300 or anything... The fact that their only international carrier (and a loyal one at that) is now flying A330-900s, you'd think they would make necessary upgrades. They are already doing upgrades, why not integrate changes to accommodate Condor? The upgrades would be a benefit anyways, it isn't just to "please" Condor, it is an investment in the airport's infrastructure, and could create more opportunities.
Condor will be receiving A321neos, and according to Wikipedia, they have a range of 3,995 nautical miles. According to GCMap, YXY-FRA is 3,943 nautical miles. I am no expert on operational capabilities at all, but I know there are forumers who are very knowledgeable with the technical stats. There's probably more things to consider than just these two stats, maybe the range is too long for the 321neo due to something else. I just thought to mention it so those more knowledgeable than me can comment. If YXY isn't planning to invest in upgrades to allow the A330-900, then it would be nice if the 321neo could do it instead.
In typical Air North fashion, they are working hard to connect pax thru YVR and YEG, so doing what they can to ensure the tourists still come, even if it isn't on non-stop flights. They did say "Most German-speaking Europeans who visit Whitehorse already connect through Vancouver, Webber added — about 15,000 people annually, compared to 7,000 through Condor's direct flights." But still, I want to see YXY be driven and make the necessary improvements, and not just accept a belief that they can't handle these planes, and be content funneling through YVR and YEG... If the government can spend $120,000 on just marketing to promote connections, I find it hard to believe they couldn't find the money for a more important long term improvement.
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