2023 will mark the end of flights from Calgary to Saskatchewan airports for Air Canada.

As of January 16, passengers will no longer be able to make the trip on an Air Canada flight.

Justin Reves, the manager of customer experience with the Regina Airport Authority, called the news disappointing.

“We know that Calgary is a popular destination for people in Saskatchewan, so it definitely is going to be tough, especially for the loyal Air Canada customers.”

“Calgary is our number one destination from Regina. Sometimes that’s people going to Calgary, coming from Calgary, but also as a connection point,” he said. “It is our busiest destination from the airport; that’s why it is so disappointing to see Air Canada drop that as an opportunity here.”

Reves said flyers will still be able to make their destinations; it might not take them a little longer.

“It might not be as big of a deal if you were heading to the West Coast of California or the East Coast of New York. You can still go through Vancouver and Toronto, but especially those areas in the Central U..S. that you would normally go straight down could add some time for Air Canada customers looking to go that way.”

Air Canada makes one to two flights a day to Calgary, while West Jet makes three to five flights per day, a number that is set to increase in the spring to fix to six.

Reves said there is still plenty of flights to Calgary for flyers, and there could be more in the future.

“This definitely creates opportunities for ultra-low-cost carriers to come back to the Regina market, whether that’s Lynx, Swoop, or Flair. Not having the service between Calgary and Regina definitely creates more opportunity for them to other that service.”

“We are definitely reaching out and talking to those airlines regularly; I’m sure they will be watching the news and seeing if they can work that into their plans coming into next year.”

Reves said this means there is just one less option for people looking to fly from Saskatchewan to Calgary.