An expert report submitted to the government proposes placing the companies Pascan, Air Creebec and Air Inuit at the heart of the revival of regional aviation.
The reform of regional air transport in Quebec is still pending, but a document made public on Monday gives an idea of the direction the Legault government intends to take.
The day after Air Canada’s withdrawal from many regional services in the summer of 2020, Transport Minister François Bonnardel sought the advice of air transport specialist Jacques Roy of HEC Montreal.
In a report submitted in the spring of 2021, the latter proposes in particular to “facilitate the emergence of the alliance of three regional carriers (Air Creebec, Air Inuit and Pascan Aviation) using existing programs (PADAR) while maintaining the free competition”.
The expert adheres to the idea of a “strategic regional air network” in which the three players would somehow share the territory. Pascan would serve all of the East including Gaspésie, Côte-Nord and Bas-Saint-Laurent, while Air Creebec would cover all of the Cree territory as well as Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Finally, Air Inuit would link Nunavik to James Bay, the North Shore to Sept-Îles and Bagotville to Saguenay.
There is no mention in this report of the Coopérative de transport régional du Québec (TREQ) project, which enjoys the support of the Parti Québécois and certain unions.
The 47-page report also suggests giving a pivotal role to Jean-Lesage Airport, in Quebec, in this network since the main interested party wishes to do so and that Montreal-Trudeau airport “does not wish to accommodate small aircraft from sparsely populated areas.
Finally, Professor Roy recommends that the government maintain subsidies for regional airports as well as the airfare reduction program (PRTA) for travelers from remote regions.
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