REGINA — For Saskatchewan travellers, the return of flights between Regina/Saskatoon and Halifax is seen as another destination to enjoy this summer.
On the flipside, Halifax Stanfield International Airport sees this as a key driver for growth in the area.
“This helps support tourism and trade and visitation opportunities within Nova Scotia, but also throughout the whole Atlantic region,” said Tiffany Chase, director of marketing, communications and customer experience at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
Chase said a 2024 report shows airport traffic is a key engine for the region’s economy.
“We saw more than four billion in economic impact in 2024. And we would expect that number to increase as a result of the increased activity that we saw in 2025.”
From her knowledge, Chase said this is the first-ever direct flight from Saskatchewan to Halifax.
Chase stressed Halifax Stanfield International Airport’s emphasis on having domestic flights.
“Folks prefer to have that one flight option to their preferred destination rather than having to connect. And so for folks from Saskatchewan, I think this provides them with a great opportunity, if they were looking for a new vacation destination.”
Chase said demand at an airport can grow even without direct flights.
“Having that option sometimes can influence someone's behaviour and their decision-making around whether or not they'll take that trip.”
This decision-making could involve businesses exploring the East Coast or events looking at Halifax as an option.
“That's another important element of the economy of having folks coming in for their conference, and then perhaps they're staying longer and becoming more of a visitor and adding to the tourism economy.”
Round-trip flights between Regina/Saskatoon and Halifax will operate twice a week until the beginning of October.
Chase said their airport will continue having conversations on better connecting opportunities.
“The team follows that really closely, leveraging data that, you know, we purchased that follows sort of how travellers come in and out of Canada and in and out of Nova Scotia. And so we'll continue to ask for these services to stay right now.”
She added, “so hopefully lots of folks book these flights, and then we'll have more of an opportunity to keep them.”
For newcomers from Saskatchewan checking out Halifax this year, Chase recommended seeing the city’s boardwalk, Citadel Hill and trying the local seafood.
