THUNDER BAY -- Travellers heading west from Thunder Bay will soon have more options, as Wasaya Airways will start offering flights to Winnipeg through Sioux Lookout, starting in May.
Officials with Wasaya, which is entirely First Nations owned, say the move has been in the works for at least a year.
The decision was made to address concerns from passengers that many existing services to and from Winnipeg require an overnight stay.
Wasaya vice president Jim Ballingall said the airline found that many of its passengers were going to Winnipeg for medical reasons.
For that reason, Wasaya decided to look at offering a route to the Manitoba capital that could be completed on the same day.
“What we focused on was helping improve access to care,” Ballingall said.
“Quite a bit of our passengers travel for medical reasons and there’s a need to travel in and out of Winnipeg for medical appointments, so this whole service is designed to help improve the connection to and from our Northern communities.”
Ballingall added the new service will provide daily connections to Winnipeg and in most cases there won’t be an overnight in Sioux Lookout.
Wasaya flights to Winnipeg through Sioux Lookout will start May 1 and operate on a Monday to Friday basis.
(TBT News)
