Officials celebrate Lynx Air’s inaugural flight from Hamilton on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Pictured left to right: Hamilton City Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, Vantage Airport Network Vice President and Head Cathie Puckering, Lynx Chief Commercial Officer Vijay Bathija, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport Executive Managing Director Cole Horncastle, and Hamilton City Councillor Judi Partridge. Photo credit: CNW Group/Lynx Air
Travellers now have more options when flying out of Hamilton. On Wednesday, June 29, John C. Munro International Airport (Hamilton International) celebrated the inaugural flight of Lynx Air, the new “ultra-affordable airline” that will be calling the airport home.
At this point in time, the airline will fly twice-weekly return services to Calgary International and Halifax International Airport. On July 29, 2022, the Hamilton-Calgary service will increase to four times a week.
For now, Calgary and Halifax remain the only destinations for flights leaving Hamilton. However, the airline also flies out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to other cities across Canada. Service out of Toronto includes flights to Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, St. John’s, Halifax, and Edmonton.
Lynx Air is a privately owned Canadian airline that is based in Calgary. It was formerly known as Enerjet. The base price for a seat on a Lynx Air flight is $59.
The airline already has plans to expand. They currently have five 737 Max aircraft but plan to add five more planes to their fleet every year. The airline intends to add international destinations, including the United States, this coming winter.
Lynx Air enters the affordable airline market in Hamilton with competition. Swoop Airlines is a low-cost airline that has been flying out of Hamilton for several years. Swoop flies to Abbotsford, Cancun, Charlottetown, Deer Lake, Edmonton, Halifax, Las Vegas, Moncton, Orlando, Puerto Vallarta, St. John’s, St. Pete-Clearwater, and Winnipeg.
Swoop also flies out of Toronto to a number of other destinations.
Lynx Air’s chief commercial officer Vijay Bathija said that while they “respect the competition” he still believes that low-cost flights are in high enough demand for Lynx Air to thrive.
Another attractive feature of the airline is that its planes are reportedly highly efficient, with advanced aerodynamics resulting in significant fuel savings. The company claims that the airline’s CO2 emissions are an estimated 14 per cent lower than other single-aisle planes. As a result, they profess to be one of Canada’s “greenest and most sustainable airlines.”
Hamilton city councillors Lloyd Ferguson and Judi Partridge attended the Lynx Air first flight celebrations, helping to cut the celebratory ribbon. Lynx Air’s first flight out of Hamilton was to Halifax.
Merren McArthur, CEO of Lynx Air said that the airline also hopes to boost Hamilton’s status as a tourist destination for those from across Canada wishing to “visit Hamilton’s vibrant arts scene or to explore the trails, parks, and waterfalls.”
Cole Horncastle, the executive managing director of Hamilton International Airport also noted that the inaugural flight is a big deal for the airport itself.
“We are thrilled to officially welcome Lynx Air to Hamilton International Airport as it takes to the skies with its inaugural flights. This important milestone not only further positions Hamilton International as a growing gateway for affordable air travel, but also supports economic recovery for the tourism sector,” said Horncastle.
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has also been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, Niagara Independent, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton crime updates and social media news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
