The Managing Director at Kamloops Airport says there’s no decision yet on whether the direct Kamloops to Toronto flight will return in the summer.

That’s despite Air Canada currently selling tickets for the flight that is potentially scheduled on Thursday’s between June 18 and Aug. 27.

Ed Ratuski says the Air Canada Rouge flight was very successful in both of the past two summers, and so he’d like to see it return.

“We’ll see if Air Canada Rouge will continue the service in the summer,” he told NL. “We’re more than ready to welcome them back.”

He says if people buy a non-stop ticket from Kamloops to Toronto, but the direct flight does not return, the airline would have to honour the tickets either through Vancouver or Calgary at the price being offered. Currently, the fare one way is between $238 and $268.

The Air Canada Rouge flight operated just once a week  in 2019 because of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft grounding across the world, which could still be a factor in 2020.

“All the airlines around the globe are trying to deal with it, and it will have an impact here,” Ratuski added. “Just have to wait and see what happens with the recovery from that situation.

This past summer over 2,000 people used the direct Toronto flight, which operated once a week in July and August. Over 7,500 people flew between Kamloops and Toronto in 2018, when the flight operated three times a week over a three month span.

The grounding of the Max aircraft meant the Kamloops to Toronto flight operated for nine weeks in 2019, instead of 11 as originally planned.