Business leaders applaud WestJet announcement

Travelling to the U.S. just got a whole lot easier for people in Regina.

For the first time since 2016, the Regina airport will have direct, non-stop service to Minneapolis seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The return of a U.S. destination to YQR opens up connecting flights to 73 additional destinations across the United States through WestJet’s codeshare partnership with Delta Airlines.

Chris Lane, the president and CEO of Economic Development Regina, said the announcement is a big deal for the agriculture and food industries in the region.

“When you look at the kind of business that gets done in the American Midwest and the kind of business that gets done here in Regina, there’s a lot of similarities, so if I were going to say one location in the U.S. that is really important for Regina to be connected to directly, it’s Minneapolis and the businesses that are there,” Lane said.

“Look at the headquarters of Cargill, for example. They’re putting a billion-dollar canola processing facility in the ground here and multiple Fortune 500 companies (are) headquartered in Minneapolis in the ag and food space, so we have very similar economies. So this one is particularly a big deal.”

Tony Playter, the CEO of the Regina District Chamber of Commerce, said the new flight will have a very positive impact on southern Saskatchewan’s economic situation.

“There’s the opportunity for a $5-million spurn with the money coming in from passengers, and that’s going to benefit not only our hotels and our tourism but also our retail and our restaurants,” he said. “I think that’s a real positive for our city, and it’s going to create jobs, and the economic spinoff from this flight is going to benefit us for years to come.”

Tracy Fahlman, the president and CEO of the Regina Hotel Association, said the new service is huge in terms of the organization’s event acquisition strategies.

“Hotels work really hard with our community partners every day — community partners like the Regina airport, the Regina Chamber of Commerce, and Economic Development — to attract events and conventions to the city, and there’s been a tool in our destination marketing kit that’s been missing for a number of years, and we just replaced it,” she said.

“We’re really excited because this really strengthens our city’s appeal to those that host national and international events.”

The non-stop flights connecting Regina and Minneapolis are to begin on April 28.