New airline finally gets off the ground at Pearson Airport in Mississauga

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Published September 23, 2022 at 11:39 am

Canada Jetlines

It took almost 10 years, but Canada Jetlines finally got its inaugural flight off the ground at Pearson Airport in Mississauga.

After two postponements in August, just the latest hurdles to face the new low-cost carrier, the Canadian startup airline put its first flight into the air yesterday (Sept. 22).

The aircraft left the tarmac at Pearson, its primary base of operations, and touched down in Calgary several hours later.

Officials with the carrier took to social media to mark the occasion.

“Today, we celebrate our inaugural (flight), which departed Pearson…” Canada Jetlines posted to Twitter yesterday.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Canada Jetlines, the latest airline to begin service out of Pearson. The all-Canadian leisure carrier takes off to Calgary today (Sept. 22) for its inaugural service and will operate two times weekly, increasing to four times weekly by mid-October,” said Pearson Airport officials.

Operating simply as Jetlines, the airline will provide service with a fleet of one Airbus A320-200, with a second scheduled to be delivered later this year and a third in 2023.

The carrier had planned to begin flying travellers to a host of Canadian cities and popular vacation destinations starting first on Aug. 15 and then on Aug. 29.

However, company officials cited regulatory and licensing challenges as the reason behind the delays. But that hurdle was cleared in time for the inaugural Sept. 22 flight.

The carrier says it will offer flights to the Alberta city twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays, to start and as of Oct. 13 will increase the frequency of weekly flights.

Beyond that, the carrier plans to eventually offer service to various U.S. locations, the Caribbean and Mexico in addition to other Canadian cities.

The airline announced in April that Pearson will serve as its primary travel hub. A month earlier, it reported that it had cleared another hurdle in getting off the ground this year.

Canada Jetlines initially formed in 2013, but it’s had trouble getting planes into the air.

Utilizing a growing fleet of Airbus aircraft, the new carrier plans to offer travellers a choice of favourite destinations throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico and within Canada.

Company CEO Eddy Doyle said earlier this year that the airline’s partnership with Pearson Airport “…will allow us to better service both domestic and international travellers to and from Canada’s busiest airport.”

Doyle added the company also aims to strengthen the aviation industry in Mississauga, the GTA and beyond by “increasing job opportunities and economic growth in the region.”

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