Chartered flights between Revelstoke and Vancouver will again be offered come winter.
Revelstoke City Council authorized public notification of their intention to provide assistance to the charter flights between Vancouver and Revelstoke from January 4, 2019 until March 18, 2019 during their June 12 meeting.
The city will provide a maximum payment of $66,857 for the provisions in the agreement with Revelstoke Mountain Resort Limited Partnership, the Revelstoke Accommodation Association and Revelstoke Connection Ltd, better known as Everything Revelstoke.
The 2019 season will mark the third year of the partnership which brings air service to Revelstoke.
“It is making a positive impact on the community, and not just for the resort and the resort business,” said Mayor Mark McKee. “Something that I talked about for a long time is getting a scheduled air service in the community is going to enhance the quality of life for everybody.”
City Council originally allocated $90,000 funds from the Economic Opportunity Fund toward the initiative. As a maximum of $66,857 was landed on to satisfy the partnership agreement, the remaining $23,143 will be returned to the fund.
26 return flights are scheduled for the 2019 season according to the Everything Revelstoke webpage. This is down from the 32 flights offered last season.
RELATED: Air Revelstoke charter flights returning in January
Flights will be offered on Monday and Friday each week between January 4 and March 18, with the addition of Sunday flights throughout February.
Unlike in 2018, no flights are scheduled for Wednesdays.
The posted price on the Everything Revelstoke webpage is $324.45 per seat after tax, or $648.90 round-trip.
The EOF was originally approved in 2001 to provide assistance for projects “deemed worthy of support which stimulate economic development in the impacted area.”
The Chartered Air Service is consistent with the 2016 Council Goals and Objectives of ensuring “city services encourage and support community vision toward development for the future” and that the city will “take initiatives to attract, promote and support economic development” according to the city report.
While this is the third year in which the city will offer financial support to the project, there is still hope in council that chartered flights will become self sufficient.
“Hopefully after this third year, this project will fly on its own,” said Councillor Linda Nixon.
Revelstoke flights will again be offered by Pacific Coastal Airlines this year.
Departure times for all flights will be 12 noon from Vancouver to Revelstoke and 2 p.m. from Revelstoke to Vancouver.
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