Windsor airport and Flair aren't done - they're just on a break

Flair Airlines Captain Ken Symonds inspects the outside of one of the company's Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, in Richmond, B.C., on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Source: The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Flair Airlines and Windsor International Airport are on a break — but both sides say they are still talking.

On Tuesday, the company confirmed to CTV News it had paused its operations out of Windsor’s YQG airport as of March; however, unlike the will-they, won’t-they relationship of Ross and Rachel on ‘Friends’, there appears to be a desire to get back together as soon as possible.

“They are still, you know, very interested in Windsor,” said Mark Galvin, president and CEO of Windsor International Airport. “It’s just at the right time when they have the capacity to fly.”

The budget airline’s departure this year follows its celebrated arrival in 2022. Its planes first touched down and took off from Windsor in July of that year.

Since then, a number of challenges have arose including pilot shortages and plane seizures.

That has the company looking for routes that are more lucrative.

“At this time, YQG is not the best opportunity for the aircraft,” wrote Kim Bowie, the communications director for Flair, in an emailed response to CTV News questions.

As of now, Flair flights from Windsor are on hiatus without a planned return.

“We left YQG back in March and do not currently have YQG in our schedule,” said Bowie. “We are constantly evaluating opportunities and remain in close contact with YQG leadership.”

Galvin is hopeful to see Flair planes fly in Windsor-Essex skies as soon as next summer.

“It's nothing that anyone's doing or not doing. These are marketplace issues that have to resolve themselves over time,” said Galvin.

Windsor International Airport in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor)

“So, one of the things that we'll do is just continue to have the dialogue with both our existing partners and potential new partners. On the plus side, Windsor's economy is in really good shape and we're getting a lot of traction of that nationwide. So, we do try to leverage that in our conversations with airline partners.”

Windsor now has four main carriers flying out of YQG: Air Canada, WestJet, Porter and Sunwing.

Attracting a fifth or the return of Flair can be challenging for the region, sandwiched between hubs like Detroit and Toronto.

“It's a very difficult market right now for regional airports and we're no different,” said Galvin.

“But from our history, we can certainly punch above our weight when we have the right route at the right time and a lot of those routes can be very successful in Windsor — and have. It's just sometimes [YQG is] a victim of the numbers game in terms of those shortages that are occurring in the marketplace.”

Flair flew several routes at different times during its brief stay in Windsor, including direct flights to Tucson, Ariz. and Cancun, Mexico as well as domestic trips to Vancouver, B.C. and Halifax, N.S.