New service to Edmonton opens up the world

Imagine waking up in London, Hawaii, Mexico or Florida just hours after leaving Nanaimo.

You’re not dreaming. Thanks to connecting flights leaving your airport daily, Central Islanders can conveniently leave home in the afternoon and wake up in destinations around Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe the next day.

Affordable travel possibilities become even more plentiful beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 15. That’s when WestJet begins new non-stop daily service from Nanaimo Airport to Edmonton. It’ll connect you to the airline’s network of 60 non-stop flights from there to destinations around the world.

“The community has been asking for this service for several years”, says Mike Hooper, President and CEO of the Nanaimo Airport. “And we’re thrilled to deliver it through a joint effort with WestJet and the Edmonton International Airport.”

WestJet’s Bombardier Q400 aircraft will arrive from Edmonton daily at 1:51 p.m. when the new service begins. It will depart at 2:25 p.m.

Edmonton is a key gateway for Central Islanders who commute by air to jobs in northern Alberta and northern Canada. It’s also a great destination for shopping, recreation and access to the Northern Rockies.

Developing service is key to Nanaimo Airport’s continued growth to ensure safe, reliable transportation for our communities.

The new flights join an already impressive list of options that continues to expand thanks to our partnerships with WestJet and Air Canada. The list includes WestJet’s two non-stop daily flights to Calgary, Air Canada’s non-stop daily flight to Calgary, and eight daily Air Canada Express flights in summer to Vancouver.

It’s not surprising, then, that passenger traffic at your airport has increased 13.9 per cent In the first six months of 2015.

As Central Islanders, we’ve always been able to work and play in one of the world’s greatest locations: Vancouver Island. And this new service will make it even easier for us all to work and play around the world too.