A reborn theatre served as the backdrop yesterday to announce the rebirth of non-stop flights between St. John’s and London, England.
And while Premier Andrew Furey makes no apologies for sweetening the financial pot for WestJet, he can’t say exactly how much it will be sweetened.
The news release cites $1.5 million in this year’s budget to support development and expansion of air travel in the province. But that was topped up in recent months by more than $2 million, in response to additional interest, leaving $3.75 million to lure carriers and land more routes.
None of that money has been used yet. That will depend on the success of the new routes, and whether WestJet needs any of it to bridge a gap to profitability.
Furey explained that the money is there for all airports in the province, should they identify a potential player.
Mayor Danny Breen, Premier Andrew Furey and St. John’s Airport Authority CEO Dennis Hogan all smiles during announcement at the Majestic Theatre in downtown St. John’s. pic.twitter.com/cTiwBBE8z4
— VOCM News (@VOCMNEWS) November 15, 2023
“What we have, as a government, been focused on is unlocking routes, direct routes, new routes,” he said. “So, as a part of that, we set aside $3.75 million for all airports to incentivize airlines to come here. I’m not going to get into the specifics of the deal because that’s between the airport authority and WestJet, but it’s safe to say that the more this is used, the less we will pay.”
Meanwhile, WestJet VP Andy Gibbons had some other good and not-so-good news for next year.
“I should mention as well this flight is only part of our summer schedule for 2024,’ he said. “So there is more to come for this market and the province and we’ll be talking about that in the new year. (But) you cannot expect a Dublin announcement in the future.”
The new service between St. John’s and London’s Gatwick airport is scheduled to run from May to October for the next three years.
It will be offered three times a week, departing St. John’s shortly after midnight and arriving at 9 a.m.
The return flight will depart London at 11 a.m., arriving in St. John’s just after 1:15 in the afternoon.
WestJet says one-way tickets start at $398.
