By Sheldon Spackman

Red Deer Airport applauds new ultra-low-cost-carrier

Dec 20, 2018 | 1:03 PM

Officials with Red Deer Airport are celebrating the news of an ultra-low-cost-carrier planned to be launched in Canada next year.

An investor group led by Tim Morgan announced Thursday that it will launch Enerjet, a Canadian ultra-low-cost-carrier (ULCC) service in 2019 with hopes of bringing affordable, low-cost air travel to millions of Canadians by this time next year.

Red Deer Airport CEO Graham Ingham says it’s positive news for Canadian air travellers in general, and for central Alberta as well.

“As a low-cost secondary airport, airports like Red Deer Airport are in a great position to capitalize on these opportunities,” states Ingham. “Our low-cost structure and our access to what amounts to about three million people in 80 minutes is really, really positive. It’s these types of opportunities that really represent the future of the Red Deer Airport.”

Ingham says he’s optimistic Enerjet will fly in and out of the Red Deer Airport at some point.

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“They haven’t officially committed to any markets in particular but I think from our perspective, it will be a domestic market out west and out east as well,” adds Ingham. “But there’s also quite a big draw out of central Alberta for U.S. destinations like Phoenix and Las Vegas, so they’re definitely on the radar.”

Backed by significant financial commitments from a consortium of Canadian investors and Indigo Partners, LLC, a leading private equity firm specializing in the aviation industry, Enerjet is described as a licensed Canadian carrier to be rebranded, expanded and transformed into an affordable air-travel choice for Canadian travelers.

“It was started by a gentleman by the name of Tim Morgan, who was one of the original founders of WestJet Airlines, so they have quite a bit of operational airline experience,” explains Ingham. “They’ve done this before and they’ve got some strong, strong partners for this venture, namely Indigo partners out of the States who also own Frontier, Spirit and a number of other low-cost airlines throughout the world.”

In terms of the service provided by ultra-low-cost-carriers, Ingham says at the end of the day what you’re paying for is your seat and your seatbelt.

“Generally speaking, everything else is extra,” says Ingham. “It’s kind of like an a-la-carte, you can really choose what exactly you want, where you want to sit, whether you want to bring a bag or not, the size of the bag, all those types of things. So if you’re looking just to make a quick trip out to the west coast or eastern Canada just to visit some friends, then you just show up, get on the airplane and if you don’t have any baggage or carry-on, then the costs are really minimal.”  

Although Enerjet has not yet announced exactly when they will take to the skies, Ingham anticipates that to be sometime in late summer or early fall.

“It’s great, it’s long-time overdue,” exclaims Ingham. “You know we’ve got Swoop in the marketplace and now we’ve also got Enerjet entering the marketplace, so it really is very positive for everybody in Canada.

Enerjet officials say this Canadian ULCC will offer a simple, ultra-low-cost fare structure and an extensive network of destinations across Canada and into the US.

“We believe there are millions of Canadians who would jump at the chance to have a simple, safe, and affordable alternative to the sky-high costs of air travel,” says Tim Morgan, who will serve as Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. “We are extremely pleased to have the backing of leading Canadian investors and our partners at Indigo. Together, this group has the financial capacity, experience, and operating expertise to transform Enerjet into a world-class, ultra-low-cost airline that will bring increased choice and competition to the Canadian market.”

“We believe we can significantly increase the size and competitiveness of Canada’s domestic and trans-border aviation market by offering an ultra low-cost alternative to the high cost of air travel,” adds Bill Franke, Indigo’s Managing Partner. “Our goal is to be in the market by this time next year to help more Canadians visit family and friends over the holidays and for years to come.”

Enerjet is a licensed Canadian charter airline based in Calgary that commenced operations with Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft in November of 2008.