Island Express Air is launching new daily flights from Qualicum Beach to Victoria, Boundary Bay and Abbotsford 鈥� and the Abbotsford-based airline also hopes to be flying to Bellingham, Wash, within a year.
The new Qualicum service starts Monday, March 5, with two flights per day, morning and afternoon, with plans to expand the service further as time goes on. Flights from Qualicum will depart at 8:15 a.m., with a return flight landing at about 5:30 p.m.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been getting a lot of requests for this,鈥� Gerry Visser, president of , said in an interview. 鈥淭his means that people can fly from Qualicum Beach to Victoria, Abbotsford and the whole Surrey/White Rock area by using Boundary Bay Airport.鈥�
Visser said that passengers travelling from Qualicum Beach to either Victoria or Abbotsford will no longer have to travel through Vancouver, avoiding the sometimes lengthy delays this causes.
Connecting flights in Abbotsford are often much faster and easier than those at Vancouver International Airport, and 鈥減assengers will save on airport fees as well as Abbotsford (CYXX) has some of the lowest airport fees in the country,鈥� the company said in a news release.
鈥淎lso, passengers continuing on to other destinations across Canada and the US can connect to these flights via Abbotsford which offers scheduled flights from other carriers including WestJet, Air Canada, New Leaf (Flair) and the all-new economy service recently launched by West Jet鈥檚 economy carrier, Swoop Airlines.鈥�
Island Express Air began with one aircraft and flights to Victoria and Nanaimo just under a decade ago. It now has 10 aircraft, including six Navajos, two Turbine powered King Airs and two single-engine aircraft.
In addition to acquiring more aircraft, Island Express Air has built a new 10,000 square-foot maintenance and administrative hangar at the Abbotsford Airport.
鈥�(Our) company鈥檚 rapid growth can be attributed to providing safe, reliable service and treating their passengers with the respect they deserve,鈥� it said.
The company is also setting its sights on Bellingham, intending to offer flights there within a year.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been working on it for a couple of years,鈥� Visser told Black Press Media, adding that the licensing is now in place. 鈥淥ur goal is to get it running within a year.鈥�
鈥淭his will allow Vancouver Island residents to easily and economically connect to the lower priced flights offered by other carriers departing Bellingham,鈥� the company said in its new release.
Flight times, pricing and general information is on Island Express Air鈥檚 website at , and passengers who prefer to book by phone can still do so during business hours toll-free at 1-888-856-6260, Visser said.
鈥淲e do have very easy online booking,鈥� Visser said. 鈥淵ou can book your flights on a cell phone (or computer) if you want.
鈥淚f you prefer to book by phone, just call 鈥� we鈥檙e happy to assist you by booking on phone,鈥� he said.
