Lynx Air launched in April of 2022, with flights going to Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The airline grew in fleets and destinations, and just when the Regina International Airport thought it had an additional set of flights to offer, Lynx airplanes were grounded.
“We were looking forward to having a new ultra-low-cost carrier in our market,” James Bogusz, the Regina International Airport president, said Friday.
Lynx was set to offer six weekly flights in and out of Regina to Vancouver and Toronto.
This week, Lynx announced it obtained an order for creditor protection from the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta.
Bogusz said the news was unexpected for airports across the country.
“This news was a big surprise for all of us in the industry,” Bogusz said. “Lynx has been making lots of incredible announcements across Canada.”
Bogusz says while the impact is very large as hundreds of employees will be out of work in just a few days, at the local level there will be no changes to the Regina airport because operations were yet to commence.
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters remains optimistic for the future of Regina’s airport, with WestJet announcing direct flights to Minneapolis, and their connections all over North America.
“Our airport accounts for, like, $800 million in terms of economic impact in our city so anything that restricts air travel is problematic,” Masters said on the Lynx closure.
Passengers with existing bookings are being told to contact their credit card provider for a refund. Canadian Air Passenger Rights president Gábor Lukács says it isn’t something to worry about, as he says the consumer protection law requires that bookings done under a credit card be refunded.
Lynx Air ceases operations on Monday, Feb. 25.