The chief executive of WestJet Group says the federal government should not treat air travel as a luxury in a country as vast as Canada and reducing costs to the industry would help foster national unity.
In a speech to a Calgary business audience on Tuesday, Alexis von Hoensbroech questioned why transport infrastructure like bridges, passenger rail and ferries get federal support, while the government imposes a host of costs on the airline industry that are then passed along to consumers.
“We need to build Canada – now even more than in the past – and aviation plays a key role” he said.
Von Hoensbroech quipped that his address had to compete for attention with the throne speech delivered on the same day by King Charles in Ottawa, which set out the Liberal government’s legislative agenda.
“But the King actually said today, ‘The government is guided by conviction that the economy is only truly strong when it serves everyone’ and many, many Canadians are struggling to get ahead,” von Hoensbroech said.
His presentation included a slide comparing government-imposed costs in Canada versus the United States. In Canada, sales tax, navigation fees, airport improvement fees and security fees amounted to $133 in a round-trip ticket price, whereas south of the border the excise tax and segment fee, passenger facility charge and security fee added up to $49.
He said it’s “fundamentally wrong” that air travel is not treated as essential in a country where it’s the only connection to the outside world in many communities.
“If the government wants to unite Canada and take down internal trade barriers, then reducing the cost of air travel by reducing fees that are imposed on air travel and ultimately make tickets cheaper would be the right thing to do,” von Hoensbroech told reporters.
“Right now, there are millions of Canadians that cannot afford an air ticket, and a lot of this is because of the infrastructure costs and fees and charges are so high, and so much higher than in most other countries.”
Von Hoensbroech’s remarks follow calls from several business leaders in recent months to reduce internal trade barriers and expand Canada’s international reach as the U.S. becomes an increasingly unreliable trading partner.
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