TIME TO FLY

London International Airport is taking off

Spring is in the air and many folks will be thinking about taking to the air. With school breaks and the summer holiday scene, the London International Airport (YXU) is ready to get passengers to destinations south and across Canada. “Local travellers want to get out and explore the world again … says Gerry Vanderhoek, the airport’s director of commercial and air services. “Canada was probably one of the most restrictive countries in the world (in terms of travel during the pandemic) so I really feel there’s this pent-up demand.”

There are direct flights to sunny – warm places such as Orlando, Cancun and Punta Cana – and last December, the lower-cost passenger airline Flair started transporting people to Tucson, Arizona. Vanderhoek says that destination out of the Forest City has been so successful officials are already planning for next winter. “We’re definitely looking at…doing twice a week (flights).”

He says 2019 was a record year with 700,000 passengers at YXU and that is slowly building back up. Close to 450,000 travellers flew in and out of London last year. That number will surely climb in 2023. “We’re bordering on the most non-stop routes that the airport has seen.”

London International Airport is also offering more choices in airlines. “Flair certainly opened up our market,” Vanderhoek says, adding he is pleased the air carrier has such confidence in the London region and that means more opportunities for lower fares.

If air travel out of London to Canadian destinations of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal and Toronto is your hope for a summer trip, start planning. “We’re seeing very, very strong bookings this summer already,” Vanderhoek says.

The airport is also offering travellers more choices as they wait for their flights. The YXU Market continues to expand with local craft beer, coffee and breads. “People at the airport can be proud of what we have in London and people visiting will get a bit of a taste of London. We’re spreading it out through the terminal,” he says.

Work continues with additional seating and accents being installed in the market area. “We’re putting in cool trees and clouds coming down from the ceiling. We carpeted the whole area. It’s going to look pretty neat. We’ve been working on it for the past year.”

Airport management has also been seeking more ways for public engagement post pandemic, Vanderhoek says. With community pickle ball courts and an ice rink, and of course the popular Airshow London, they hope people will check out all the airport offers. The rink may become year round if a sponsor can be found to help with a concrete pad, Vanderhoek says. “You could do ball hockey in the summer and ice hockey in the winter. People get to see the airport and get to see what we’re offering.”