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By Darren Rathwell

WestJet adding local flights

WestJet travel slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels in Medicine Hat

Apr 27, 2022 | 5:10 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Traffic at Medicine Hat’s airport will soon take an upswing, following a slow return from pandemic-related issues.

According to city officials, WestJet will increase flights to Calgary from Medicine Hat to twice daily starting in early May, up from 12 flights per week in recent months.

Airport Manager Jeff Huntus says there’s been a steady and consistent growth of travellers since last summer, and this month is on track to have the largest amount of air traffic in about two years.

Huntus also says WestJet is planning to fly three times daily from Medicine Hat come July, thus returning the airline to its pre-pandemic levels.

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A change in COVID-19 testing rules is cited as a main reason for the renewed interest in travelling.

“We don’t have to be tested to come back to Canada. There’s still requirements to go into the U.S. to be tested but it’s half as onerous as it was, which is a good thing. And it’s rapid testing. People are willing to accept that little bit of inconvenience,” Huntus told CHAT News.

Huntus says the industry is currently optimistic about the future.

There’s no word, meanwhile, if Air Canada is planning a return to Medicine Hat.