Flair Airlines to close crew base at Waterloo region's airport, will still fly in and out of YKF

Flair Airlines will close its crew base at the Region of Waterloo International Airport this fall but says it will continue to operate scheduled flights to this community.

In a statement to CBC News, Flair's vice president of commercial, Eric Tanner, said the airline is currently taking "proactive steps to strengthen its business in the face of ongoing macroeconomic pressures." 

The crew base will close on Sept. 3. The base is similar to an office located at the airport where pilots and flight attendants would begin and end their shifts.

"Flair remains the largest carrier at YKF [the airport code for Region of Waterloo International Airport] and will continue to operate scheduled flights in and out of the airport," Tanner's statement said.

"The closure of YKF's crew base is not tied to any layoffs. Our inflight and maintenance teams will still have roles within Flair. Our maintenance base will remain vital and operational in YKF."

Flair also confirmed they will be ending all international flights to and from YKF.

The website showed flights to Cancun were still available Friday morning, but officials said those would be removed from the website within 24 hours and all passengers who have already booked flights for any of the cancelled routes will be offered a full refund or to be redirected out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

The airline plans to expand into new charter operations that will "bring stable, guaranteed revenue."

Tanner said the "strategic shift requires us to reallocate aircraft and reduce our scheduled passenger service after the summer peak."

In a statement, the Region of Waterloo said Flair will continue to offer flight service to Abbotsford, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and Vancouver and noted other airlines are connected to the airport including WestJet and Air Canada.

"YKF remains an economic driver in Waterloo region, supporting local employment, tourism, trade, and economic growth," the region's statement said.

Flair first signed a deal with the region to fly out of YKF in February 2021. But the airline saw staff shortages and cancelled flights in 2022. In January 2023, the airline cancelled service to Montreal from the region and in March of the same year, the airline had four leased Boeing 737s seized — including one at the region's airport — over a commercial dispute.

In April 2023, Flair Airlines told local media it planned to ramp up service to Waterloo region, but the increase would be slower than they had initially planned.

But the airline also helped the Region of Waterloo International Airport reach a record number of passengers in 2023 and 2024.

In January, the region said 523,210 passengers travelled through the airport in 2024 for a 17.9 per cent increase over 2023. Some of that has also included passengers for WestJet flights and people who check-in for Air Canada flights in Waterloo region before taking a designated bus to Toronto's Pearson airport.