The Prince George Airport Authority is in a tough spot.
Because it’s built on federal land, YXS is classified as a National Airport System, and isn’t eligible for funding from the Capital Assistance Funding Program or Build Canada Funding.
In a presentation to City Council, representatives stressed the money is needed for infrastructure maintenance, rather than expansion.
PGAA CEO John Gibson says the airport will consider raising its Airport Improvement Fee by $5-$10 if it can’t get support from the Federal or Provincial government, but wants to avoid raising the fee.
“We’ve had a very, very high pressure lobby with the City, the MPs, the MLAs…” says Gibson, “Other airports have had the same thing plus their Senators, so we’ll keep out fingers crossed that something will come out, and we won’t make a move on the AIF until we know the well is dry.
Gibson referenced a conversation he had with WestJet concerning the downsides of raising the AIF.
“The number of people going out for flights starts to decrease. The propensity of travel for those people on their last dollar… They just don’t travel. You can see it in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area, where they have the choice to go across the border.”