Stephenville has gotten its wings back after a several-year debacle that saw wishes from an entrepreneur for a booming aeronautics industry fizzle to the point where the airport was downscaled to an aerodrome.

A new company has begun putting things back in order at the airport, which used to have an international designation

BTG Capital of Calgary has applied to the federal authorities to recertify the facility as an airport.

In its darkest days, the power had been cut, leaving the land mass as a dark spot. But the power is now back on, and other improvements are being made.

On Friday, BTG, Premier Tony Wakeham and Stephenville Mayor Bob Byrnes stood in front of about 500 people from the region who turned out for the grand opening. Mayor Byrnes is confident that they will see the resumption of commercial flights to Stephenville. But they need time.

However, he says they have the right people behind the operation this time.

“I’m 100 per cent behind these guys and I have a lot of history with the airport. The day we get the passenger service back here, people will breathe a sigh of relief, and I am sure there will be a big celebration for that,” says the mayor, who ran the airport for a period of three years.