Low-cost Flair Airlines is making a return trip to the province, expanding on its previous foray three years ago.

And while the additional domestic service is welcome news, the return of transatlantic service remains elusive.

Flair Airlines CEO Stephen Jones announced yesterday new routes between St. John’s, Toronto and Kitchener- Waterloo, and between Deer Lake and Toronto.

The carrier had previously established direct flights between Deer Lake and Kitchener-Waterloo in 2021

Flair CEO Stephen Jones acknowledged the challenges of flying into this market with one-way fares as low as $39.

Ultimately, he says the flying public will dictate the airline’s fate in this province.

“The success of it will depend on how much people use the service,” he said. “We’re a business so we need to be supported. We’ll make the prices affordable but we need people to come fly with us.”

Airport CEO Dennis Hogan praised Flair’s faith in the province, noting YYT continues to recover and grow post-pandemic. However, he says other pressures continue to impact a return of overseas flights.

“Having transatlantic service reinstated for YYT is a big priority for the airport, and it’s something that we do expect to achieve at some point in time,” he said. “There are a lot of constraints right now in the airline and aviation generally, but we’ve had those flights in the past and I assume at some point into the future they’ll return.”

The new Flair flights will operate from May to October of next year.