‘A complete bombshell’: Lethbridge mayor working to attract airlines after WestJet departure

Mayor Blaine Hyggen says he had “zero idea” that WestJet had been planning to end service to Lethbridge.

“This has come as a surprise, a very big surprise, ourselves and Medicine Hat – I’ve been in touch with the mayor of Medicine Hat – and it’s a little frustrating,” says Hyggen.

He acknowledges that this will be a major loss for the city and for all who regularly fly out of the Lethbridge Airport.

WestJet said in its announcement that “despite efforts to support viability, demand for the services has been insufficient.”

Hyggen told media that he has seen air traffic out of Lethbridge falling in recent years, and that, unfortunately, it is a matter of “you use it, or you lose it.”

He says, “It’s a chicken or egg thing, you know. If you provide this service there, you want to make sure that you’re using the service, but in order to get the service, you need to prove that you’re using the airline.”

It has been a tough few years for the Lethbridge Airport.

In March 2020, Air Canada announced that it would be “suspending service indefinitely” for their Lethbridge-Calgary route.

Flair Airlines intended to launch a service between Lethbridge and Tucson, Arizona, in 2022, but that was delayed and never ended up materializing.

Then, in October 2024, WestJet said it would be utilizing a larger plane for flights between Lethbridge and Calgary, but that the number of daily flights would be reduced from three to one.

Once WestJet leaves the Lethbridge Airport fully this June, no commercial airlines will be left.

However, Hyggen clarified that the airport will not be sitting empty until a new commercial airline comes on board.

“There’s other things that are happening out at the airport. For example, there’s private planes, there’s hangars, there’s an air school that’s out there, we have Medivac service as well RCMP landing, so it’s not that that is the only thing that comes to our airport; however, commercial air traffic is extremely important,” says Hyggen.

$25 million worth of renovations and upgrades to the Lethbridge Airport were completed in 2022, with the goal of improving the quality of service for passengers, enticing airlines to operate out of Lethbridge, and replacing outdated infrastructure.

Since WestJet’s latest announcement, Hyggen says he has heard from many residents who feel that the City wasted that money.

He clarifies that approximately 93 per cent of that money came from the provincial and federal governments, not municipal.

“To be honest, that still comes out of all of our pockets, and I do understand that, but from taxpayers here, local taxpayers were in for seven per cent of that.”

Hyggen says the plan going forward is to implement the new 2026 Airport Workplan that was presented to city council this week.

It aims to stabilize airport reserves and grow revenues, and to maintain the viability of the airport.

That includes launching a regional YQL marketing plan, exploring tools to attract additional air services, pursuing land use opportunities, and more.

A motion, which was added to the agenda prior to WestJet announcing its departure, to increase funding for the Workplan by $2 million, was defeated.

Another big task ahead for the City of Lethbridge will be to attract new, smaller carriers to begin providing service to Calgary and Edmonton, or even other high-demand destinations.

It is unclear at this time how long it will take to secure a new air service, but Hyggen says he is confident in the ability of city staff to accomplish this.

It is also not known how many, if any, people will be laid off as a result of WestJet discontinuing service to Lethbridge.

by David Opinko

‘A complete bombshell’: Lethbridge mayor working to attract airlines after WestJet departure

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