1,479 passengers came through the Sault Airport in March

Last month, we passed the one year mark since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and air travel continues to be impacted by travel restrictions related to the virus.

The Sault Ste. Marie Airport reports a drop in passenger traffic for the month of March. In a press release issued this afternoon, the corporation said March 2021's air traffic was down 84.5 per cent compared to 2020 and 92 per cent from 2019.

Currently, Bearskin Airlines is operating up to two flights Sunday and up to four daily flights Monday to Friday, and Air Canada Express is offering five flights per week.

Sunwing and Porter Airlines are not currently offering flights out of the Sault. Porter has pegged June 21 as a tentative restart date for flight service.

In today's release, airport CEO Terry Bos expressed hope that as more people receive vaccinations, restrictions will lift and air traffic will return.

The breakdown for the last fiscal year states:

• From April to June, the Sault Airport saw 572 passengers come through, a decrease of -98.89 per cent from the year previous.
• July to September saw 8,090 passengers come through, a decrease of -85.70 per cent from last year
• October to December saw 7,675 passengers pass through, a decrease of 85.52 per cent from the year previous
• January saw 1,619 passengers come through, a decrease of 89.34 per cent from last year
• February saw 1,100 passengers come through, a decrease of 93 per cent from the year previous
• March had 1,479 passengers, a decrease of 84.48 per cent from the year previous