Officials from Labrador want answers why the region is not part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s new seasonal interprovincial air service; one Northern Peninsula tour operator would like to see the service expanded there tooAuthor of the article: Gary Kean • The TelegramPublished May 05, 2025 • 10 minute readThe Goose Bay Airport Corporation and other leaders in Labrador are demanding better answers from the provincial government after the region was excluded from the new seasonal interprovincial air service starting up this summer. GOOSEBAYAIRPORT.COMWhile the tourism industry is applauding the new interprovincial air service announced by the provincial government, those in areas not included would like to see the initiative expanded.Leaders in Labrador are outright upset with being excluded from the partnership between government and PAL Airlines that will see flights between St. John’s, Gander and Deer Lake between for four days each week from June 15 to Sept. 20.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn a joint press release issued after the announcement, Goose Bay Airport Corporation, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the Town of North West River, the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation and the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce said they were “shocked” their concerns about air service connections and affordability in Labrador were not addressed as part of the new service.Air transportation essentialJulianne Griffin, Labrador North Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive officer, said regions across Labrador have advocated for more efficient and affordable air transportation for years.“For Labradorians, air transportation is an essential — and often the only — mode of transportation and is a crucial element to fostering economic development and growth throughout the region,” she said in the press release.“Despite repeated efforts to communicate challenges regarding air service and affordability, the provincial government moved ahead with yet another initiative that excludes the region of Labrador. The province must focus on creating an effective provincial-wide transportation network and perspectives of stakeholders in Labrador must be valued and reflected.”Article contentIn its press release announcing the service, the provincial government did reference Labrador, saying government continues to communicate with Labrador airport partners on options to improve air access to that part of the province and continues with its advocacy to the federal government regarding the burden of federal fees, charges and other taxes that place a strain on passengers, airlines and airports.“We respect the concerns coming from the Labrador region and continue to work with Labrador airport partners on options for expanded access between Labrador and the island,” said outgoing Premier Andrew Furey.‘It is baffling’Rex Goudie, chief executive officer of the Goose Bay Airport Corporation, said the corporation has made repeated suggestions to the province to enhance service and affordability in Labrador to no avail.He doesn’t buy the reasons given by the province.“The province continues to say that federally imposed fees are the major issue,” said Goudie. “But those same fees apply to all airports. Why are those fees a barrier to providing provincial assistance to Labrador, but not to airports on the island?”Article contentThe joint release from the Labrador officials noted the region is a major contributor to provincial economic output, with a bright future. With pending hydro development at Churchill Falls and Gull Island under the new memorandum of understanding between the province and Quebec, expansion in the Labrador West iron ore mines, Voisey’s Bay underground and the promising outlook for rare earth minerals in northern and southeastern Labrador, they said region will continue to play “an outsized role” in the provincial economy. Happy Valley-Goose Bay Mayor George Andrews Photo by The Telegram/File photo“It is baffling, as a political leader, to understand how the province can ignore Labrador and the obvious need in terms of the quality and affordability of air service, and at the same time, directly invest in and celebrate the improvement of air service on the island,” said Happy Valley-Goose Bay Mayor George Andrews.“It is insulting to people in Labrador to be ignored on an issue that is of extreme importance to people in this region.”Article contentGoose Bay Airport is also a vital air link for the north Labrador coast, and all of Upper Lake Melville, including Sheshatshiu.“We have made our case again and again to the province of the need for action to address air transportation issues for all of Labrador,” said Sheshatshui Innu Band Chief Eugene Hart.“If the province is sincere in its public statements that it is working to address air service issues, it is time for them to act. Words are not enough.”Meeting requestedThe group is requesting an urgent meeting to discuss solutions for air access and affordability with new premier John Hogan — who was chosen at a Liberal party leadership convention to replace Furey on Saturday, May 3 — and Labrador Affairs Minister Lisa Dempster, who is the legislature member for the Labrador district of Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair.Goudie also wrote a letter to Furey, dated April 30, in which he said the new service is not a truly interprovincial service since it only serves the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador.Article contentThe letter was copied to Dempster, as well as to Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation Minister Steve Crocker; Perry Trimper, the Liberal legislature member for Lake Melville; Philip Earle, the newly elected Liberal Commons member for Labrador; and to both John Hogan and John Abbott, the other provincial Liberal leadership candidate who sought to replace Furey as the next premier.In it, Goudie also outlined some of the suggestions the corporation has made to improve air service connections and to enhance affordability for Labrador residents.“We have asked the province to consider an air subsidy program similar to that in place in Quebec,” wrote Goudie. “People in regions that are distant from the main centres of Montreal and Quebec City qualify for a subsidized airfare. Our request for a similar program in this province has gone unanswered.“The province did offer $250,000 to assist our efforts to attract a new carrier. However, the timeline to access these funds was impossibly short, and we asked that the funds be reprofiled for our use in the current 2025-26 fiscal year. We made this request in January and, so far, have not had a response.”Article content Deer Lake Regional Airport will be busier this summer as it will be part of a new interprovincial air service that also includes Gander and St. John’s, running from June 15 to Sept. 20. Photo by CAMERON SOUCY‘Deserve an explanation’Goudie added it was particularly concerning to see the new service announced for three airports that are just hours away from each other by vehicle, while still not receiving any response from government about its request to reallocate the funds offered by the provincial government.“We deserve an explanation as to why Labrador has been so obviously left out of this initiative … We are perplexed with the province’s position that the fees and levies are a barrier to assisting airports in Labrador, but are not considered a barrier to assisting airports at Deer Lake, Gander and St. John’s,” wrote Goudie.Goudie said he appreciates the efforts to enhance tourism within the island and hopes it proves successful, but said Labrador should have also been given the same opportunity.“There is patent unfairness in choosing to further assist air travel on the island while ignoring the service and affordability issues faced by people in Labrador,” he wrote.Article content Lela Evans, the PC legislature member for Torngat Mountains and the Opposition Shadow Minister for Labrador Affairs. Photo by Anasophie Vallee/The Telegram/File photoOfficial political oppositionThe new air service also raised the ire of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party.Lela Evans, the Tory legislature member for Torngat Mountains and the Opposition Shadow Minister for Labrador Affairs, said the Liberal government is short-sighted when it comes to Labrador.“Labradorians are sick and tired of this Liberal government’s attitude of out of sight, out of mind,” the MHA said in a press release.“To subsidize an island-only interprovincial air travel loop is outrageous. Did the Liberals think that we wouldn’t notice that they left us out of the loop again? This, while Labradorians continue to suffer under limited travel options and sky-high prices.”Evans said she had recently spoke with a Goose Bay resident who has to travel soon to St. John’s and their air travel will cost them $1,427.“This is rubbing salt in our wounds,” she said.Evans noted that Labradorians often must travel for medical reasons, for work or school sport competitions, and should be treated more fairly when it comes to the costs they incur, especially after all the advocating leaders from the region have done on the issue.Article contentShe congratulated the municipalities on the island that will benefit from the agreement but questioned why Labrador is not part of the service.“I celebrate anything that improves air access in the province, but everyone should get the same treatment,” said Evans.“I also question the Liberal government subsidizing seats to international destinations when Labradorians cannot afford to travel for critical medical appointments, work, or pleasure. This shows the Liberals’ priorities — they certainly don’t include Labrador.” The Northern Peninsula and southern Labrador are prime areas to visit for anyone hoping to get an up close and personal experience with whales and other marine life in Newfoundland and Labrador. Photo by The Dark Tickle CompanyNot just Labrador wants inWhile officials in Labrador have been making their voices heard about the issue, the new air service also left out another significant region of the province.Many tourists head to the tip of the Northern Peninsula if they hope to take in the UNESCO World Heritage Site at L’Anse aux Meadows, where Norse artifacts discovered there have proven that Vikings once lived there temporarily.The area also has the longest iceberg-viewing season in the province, along with the Labrador coast, and is where many species of whales head on their annual migration northward.Article contentIt’s also a gateway to southern Labrador, where more iceberg-viewing and whale-watching opportunities await, as do historic sites such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Red Bay and the National Historic Site at Battle Harbour.Kier Knudson, of the Dark Tickle Company in St. Lunaire-Griquet, noted that despite what the tip of the Northern Peninsula has to offer, it doesn’t see nearly as many visitors as Gros Morne National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the southern part of the peninsula.“It would be really, really beneficial if we were a part of that,” Knudsen, during an interview with The Telegram, said of St. Anthony Airport being added to the seasonal interprovincial air service. “One of the issues that we have with getting more people up here is just how far away this is off the beaten track.”The highway distance from Deer Lake Airport to L’Anse aux Meadows is nearly 440 kilometres — a more than five-hour drive if travelling at around 80 kilometres per hour.Article content“I get lots and lots of inquiries about how to get here, and they do bring up how to fly here,” said Knudsen, whose business sells a line of products made from local berries, offers expeditions to see icebergs and marine life and also operates a historically-themed bistro named Cafe Nymph. The area around the tip of the Northern Peninsula and southern Labrador boats the longest iceberg-viewing season in Newfoundland and Labrador. Photo by The Dark Tickle Company‘Would be absolutely tremendous’While there are some flights to St. Anthony, the significant cost is a major deterrent, noted Knudsen.Bus service on the Northern Peninsula is relatively infrequent, and renting a vehicle in Newfoundland and Labrador during the busy tourism season has been problematic because of low inventories in recent years. The region could also use more electric vehicle charging stations, he added.While there are many issues with land transportation, Knudsen would love to see St. Anthony Airport included as a stop if the province’s seasonal interprovincial air service ever expands northward to Labrador.He said the typical tourist who heads to the tip of the Northern Peninsula does so because of the knowledge-based tourist attractions that are there, including abundant marine and wildlife, icebergs and the Norse and other human history.Article contentThese sorts of tourists, continued Knudsen, are usually well-educated and willing to spend money on the things that interest them.“If we had a reliable, frequent air service here during tourism season, I think that would be absolutely tremendous,” he said.“(This area gets) a certain demographic, and a lot of those people have money. So, to get them to spend a few extra dollars to get on a plane, rather than having to do this massive trek in a car over potholes you need a quad to get over, would be great.” The Norse site at L’Anse aux Meadows on the tip of the Northern Peninsula, where evidence of a Viking camp from a millennium ago was found, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws lots of tourists each year. Photo by Dale WilsonCould use ‘a marketing punch’Knudsen said it makes sense if the province is first going to see if the service that has been announced proves feasible before expanding it.He would also like to see a better marketing job done to promote what the Northern Peninsula has to offer.It’s been his experience that many visitors don’t realize how much there is to see and do on the Northern Peninsula and would have allotted more of their vacation time to the area if they had known.Article content“That’s not lost on us either,” he said of the service proving successful enough to warrant expansion. “But, if they’re going to try to do that, maybe there could be a marketing punch along with it.”Read More Wheels up: NL hopes to boost tourism, economy with new interprovincial flight routes Places to go: NL tourism eyeing busy season as anti-American sentiment adds province to many travel bucket lists ‘Getting here is an ordeal’: Subsidizing flights to Newfoundland and Labrador could be a game changer in growing provincial economy ‘Completely unorganized’: Residents in Northern Labrador continue to face challenges with medevacs and getting bumped off medical flights ‘It seems to have gotten worse’: Northern Labrador residents experiencing increased medical flight delays How medevac is failing the people of Labrador Travel subsidy enhancements opens more doors for Labrador athletes, says Makkovik mom Knudsen has been hearing from many American tourists wanting to come to Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as many Canadians and Europeans who have chosen to redirect their plans away from the United States because of the current political atmosphere there and are considering the province as their destination of choice.Article content“I don’t know how much of our increase in bookings is attributed to that, but some for sure,” he said. “That’s only going to last so long because that’s based on the current political situation, but a reliable and easy air route would certainly help that more, I would think.”Supporting and sustainingThe Telegram asked the provincial department about whether St. Anthony would get any consideration if the service is ever expanded to Labrador.“The focus is on St. John’s, Gander and Deer Lake at this time because they are the regions with the highest volume of vacation travelers and are well-positioned to support and sustain this type of offering,” stated the emailed reply from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.The department’s email noted that it is awaiting the final tourism numbers for 2024.However, during the latest full year of expenditures, 2023, the total tourism spending by residents and non-residents was $1.4 billion, the highest it had ever been.Article content
Up in the air: Labrador leaders not happy with exclusion from NLs new interprovincial air service
