Ben Crooks, an aviation planner with HM Aero, led a presentation at Startup Lloydminster on Tuesday on a commercial air service feasibility study the city has contracted. The goal of the study is to pitch our airport to prospective airlines when the study wraps up in August or September. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
A campaign to restore commercial airline service to Lloydminster has taken flight after WestJet cancelled its Calgary to Lloydminster service in April 2024.
HM Aero consultants kicked off public presentations on a commercial air service study at Startup Lloydminster and the Lloydminster Municipal Airport on Tuesday and Second Cup on Wednesday.
Aviation planner Ben Crooks told the audience the city received a regional airport development grant with the loss of WestJet to conduct market research on regional travel needs to prepare detailed business cases to pitch to prospective airlines.
“With those packages, the city through economic development and the airport will be able to go to prospective airlines with that detailed information to more clearly articulate why they should come to Lloydminster,” explained Crooks.
He didn’t know when a commercial air service could come back to Lloyd, but he said he knows city staff are quite keen to get a marketing package out to the airlines in August or September when the study is done.
“There’s been some preliminary discussions already with the city on some potential airlines. From what we understand, it’s a high priority for the city,” said Crooks.
Lloydminster is also conducting an online survey that has generated more than 500 responses on travellers’ needs and expectations of commercial air service from the municipal airport.
“It’s all with the goal of attracting a new airline to come to Lloydminster and restore that connectivity,” said Crooks.
Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers also made it clear WestJet cancelled its Calgary to Lloyd service purely for economic reasons and nothing more.
He said there is something to say about our airport over others, including free parking, five minutes to get through security and “boom you’re on an airplane.”
“We want to take the next step and that’s why we brought it to our consultants.”
Katlin Ducherer, the city’s economic development officer says the airport is a significant economic driver for the community.
“It can be used as a tool to attract workforce and additional business,” she said.
Ducherer notes the online survey which ends on May 24 aims to engage travellers within 150 kilometres of Lloydminster.
“We’ll take this information; we’ll formulate it and go through it and really look at what routes, times and people’s perceptions go into that ‘sell piece’ for marketing to airlines, she said.
The survey data will include when customers travel, how they travel and the different routes they would like to take in the future.
“Our goal is to make a business case that we can attract that commercial flight service to Lloydminster,” said Ducherer.
The scope of the study will include an update of the airport master plan completed by Aero in 2020.
The update will reflect the changes in air services at the airport since COVID, the retiming of capital projects and the identification of new projects.
“We’ve heard a lot about the desire for a bathroom past security and food and beverage options and things like that. We’ll be considering those improvements with city staff when we update the master plan,” said Crooks.
