Business
Tourism, Culture and Recreation
October 13, 2010
New Long-Term Strategy Aims for Greater Air Access in
Province
A new five-year Provincial Government strategy aims to enhance
Newfoundland and Labrador's air transportation access by working
collaboratively with airports and other partners in supporting their
efforts to attract new flights and spur demand.
The Honourable Ross Wiseman, Minister of Business, today released
Taking
Flight: An Air Access Strategy for Newfoundland and
Labrador
, which will guide the Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador's direction, in concert with key industry and community
partners, to enhancing air service capacity in the province.
"Newfoundland and
Labrador continues to be a hub of economic activity and a magnet for
investment and people, and with growth comes greater demand for
transportation access," said Minister Wiseman. "
Our
government committed to exploring opportunities that would encourage
increased air capacity with more direct and frequent flights in the
province. Through this Air Access Strategy, we are demonstrating a
long-term commitment to enhancing air access, with a vision of providing
more people with more choice for air travel to, from and within
Newfoundland and Labrador."
A total of $5 million is
committed over the first three years of the strategy, which contains
five strategic goals for improving air access. The goals are:
1. Proactively promoting Newfoundland and Labrador to the
airline industry;
2. Branding Newfoundland and Labrador for business and tourism;
3. Fostering a culture of partnership and collaboration;
4. Supporting a more attractive business environment for
airlines; and,
5. Dedicating resources to implement Taking Flight.
Related to these goals are five objectives and 15 action items which
are summarized in the Backgrounder below.
Taking Flight
promotes more dialogue and collaboration among the
province's airports, the business community and other stakeholders
towards achieving shared objectives and ultimately increasing demand. To
help get the message out that airports in Newfoundland and Labrador are
open for business, the Provincial Government will support and partner
with regional airport authorities to actively promote their capabilities
and the province directly to airlines. The strategy also puts emphasis
on continuing to brand and market Newfoundland and Labrador as a
destination of choice for business and tourism.
"Providing sufficient, quality air access to the province is
essential to the future growth of tourism, as noted in
Uncommon
Potential —
A Vision for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism,"
said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation. "Travellers want the ability to book the seat of their
choice, on the dates of their choice, and at prices that are reasonable.
Increased, direct access to our domestic markets — and emerging markets
in the United States, UK and the rest of Europe — is also critical to
ensuring the province remains competitive in the global tourism
marketplace."
A key component of Taking Flight is the establishment of a new
Air Access Development Program. Under the program, more than $4 million
will be available to airlines and the province's airports to support
their business development and route promotion activities. A private
industry advisory committee consisting of representatives of regional
airports, business associations and other groups will be established to
provide ongoing input into implementation of the strategy as part of a
focused, coordinated approach to air access development.
To help implement and oversee Taking Flight, a Director of Air
Access will be hired. The person in this newly created role will also be
responsible for industry research and support, administering the Air
Access Development Program, providing advice to the Provincial
Government on air access related issues and regularly reporting on the
progress of the strategy.
Taking Flight
was developed following the release of an air
transportation study conducted for the Provincial Government by Atlantis
Aviation Consulting, as well as consultation with industry and other
stakeholder groups. Many of the strategy initiatives are directly in
line with recommendations from those stakeholders and the consultant's
report.
As highlighted in