Flights from Fort Frances to Thunder Bay Are Coming Back

Andrew Hallikas says he is “ecstatic” about the return of scheduled air passenger services between Fort Frances, Ont., and Thunder Bay.

The mayor of Fort Frances has been pushing for commercial flights ever since Bearskin Airlines stopped operating in May 2024, which also impacted Kenora and Dryden.

All three communities worked together on a study and survey last fall to show why a new air carrier was necessary.

This January, North Star Air began offering flights between Kenora and Thunder Bay, and starting July 6, they will extend that service to include Fort Frances.

“It gets very difficult because we’re somewhat isolated here – we’re tucked up right against the Minnesota-Ontario border, we’re not on the Trans-Canada Highway,” Hallikas said. “We don’t have passenger rail service. We do have bus service but it’s not every day, and so people have to rely on automobiles.”

It takes around four hours to drive from Fort Frances to Thunder Bay, covering about 350 kilometres.

There’s a consensus in the community that we need to improve our transportation in any way that we can, and air transportation of course would be very, very welcome.- Andrew Hallikas, mayor of Fort Frances

“We do have an aging demographic in the Rainy River district. A lot of our seniors don’t like to drive in the winter time … the roads can get quite treacherous and hazardous,” Hallikas said.

“There’s a consensus in the community that we need to improve our transportation in any way that we can, and air transportation of course would be very, very welcome.”

The flights between Fort Frances and Thunder Bay will take about 50 minutes and will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This schedule could expand based on how many passengers there are.

However, it’s crucial for residents to use this service regularly so that it proves viable for the town of around 7,500 people, according to Hallikas.

‘Use the service as much as possible’

Tom Meilleur, vice president of North Star Air, mentioned that they see this new service as a partnership with Fort Frances.

“There are some guarantees that the community has put forward and there’s a risk reward to this agreement – so if we’re doing better than the numbers say, then they participate in the gains as well as we do,” Meilleur said.

Tom Meilleur is vice president of North Star Air. He says the air carrier is building a community partnership with Fort Frances, Ont., rather than simply introducing an air service. (North Star Air/Facebook)

However, he recognized how tough it can be to run scheduled services in rural areas with lower populations.

“Our basic approach to both of the services was connectivity not only to Thunder Bay but beyond,” he explained. This means timing flights into Thunder Bay so passengers can connect with flights going further out like Toronto or Ottawa.

Meilleur noted they hope to learn from their experience in Kenora where it took some time for locals to feel comfortable using their services before numbers started increasing.

“It’s up to community members; it’s up to businesses; it’s up to governments – everyone needs use this service as much as possible,” he said.

<p mean While," Meilleur added North Star Air is pushing for a policy framework similar to what exists in Quebec offering subsidies for flights serving low-density markets making these operations more sustainable especially important across northern Ontario where lots travel for work or medical appointments."

The Fort Frances Airport will host an open house barbecue Thursday from 11 a. m. until 2 p. m., allowing residents an opportunity learn more about this new flight service tour PC-12 aircraft while having chance win free tickets.

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