A successful two months for the Air Canada Rouge direct flight from Kamloops to Toronto this year.

Kamloops Airport Managing Director Ed Ratuski says there were 2,100 passengers who used the 10 flights this past July and August.

He says officials weren’t sure what to expect this year, especially after given the issues with the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft.

“Generally about a 20 per cent increase in the load factor compared to those flights last year, which is positive,” he said. “Some flights, especially in August, were operating at over 90 per cent capacity. And that’s data we can take back to Air Canada when we approach them to continue this service next year.”

Ratuski also says there were far fewer connecting passengers this year, which he says means that more people ended up visiting the Kamloops area.

“That was actually the target of this flight,” he noted.

Last year, during the first year of operations, Ratuski says there were about 7,500 passengers who used the flights but he noted they were in operation three times a week.

As of this moment, it’s unclear if the flights will return next summer, with Ratuski telling NL that is a decision for Air Canada to make, depending on if they see the route as profitable.