Airline announces layoffs

Wasaya Airways will layoff between 20 and 25 of its employees, affecting operations in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg and Timmins.

"Wasaya Airways is not immune to the recent economic downturn," said the airline’s president Tom Morris. "We have been hit particularly hard in the last two years."

Morris also says that improvements to Ontario's Far North winter road network are having a negative impact on the regional airline’s operations.

"A good winter road season really impacts the airlines quite a bit," he said. "Communities that rely on air transportation for groceries, building supplies, fuel and other services … they have the ability during the winter-road season to transport those goods on the ground."

That impacts the airline's profitability, he added.

Morris says Wasaya has been developing a strategic plan to address the impact of the winter road system, something they will have to cope with on an annual basis.

Along with the layoffs, Wasaya has reduced its workweeks from five days a week to four days. The company has also made some hour reductions to some positions.

Morris says nearly every position, from manager to front-line worker, is feeling the sting of this recent announcement.

Wasaya Airways has about 340 total employees.