NewLeaf to launch in early 3Q

NewLeaf (Winnipeg Int'l) has announced a revised launch date of July 25 with budget flights connecting twelve Canadian cities.


In a statement, the virtual carrier said it would offer regular scheduled flights to: Abbotsford; Edmonton Int'l; Fort St. John; Halifax; Hamilton, ON; Kamloops; Kelowna; Moncton; Regina; Saskatoon; Victoria Int'l and Winnipeg Int'l.

Service is on-board B737-400s chartered from technical partner, Flair Airlines (F8, Kelowna).

NewLeaf had originally planned to commence flights in February of this year only be thwarted by a Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) review of regulations governing virtual carriers.

Though the CTA did eventually rule that virtual carriers do not require an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) in order to offer commercial air transport services, local airline consumer advocate Gabor Lukacs has now sought to overturn the ruling. He argues that as virtual carriers are not bound by the same rules and regulations that govern actual certified carriers, such as in the areas of ticket refund policies, they should not be allowed to operate, let alone sell tickets given the increased risk to passengers.

The application is currently before the Canadian courts.

ch aviation