Two representatives from North Star Air spoke to the Thompson Chamber of Commerce May 30 to announce that they will be open for business in the Hub of the North this summer.
Tom Meilleur, the airline’s vice-president, said they are expecting to put the finishing touches on their new $5.5 million hangar at the Thompson Airport by June 25 and will be taking partial occupancy as of June 11.
Once they are up and running, North Star Air will be able to offer Thompsonites and nearby residents access to their cargo shipping services, which are already available to over 50 remote northern communities throughout Manitoba and Ontario.
“Ninety-five per cent of all our deliveries meet the service level agreements,” said Meilleur. “So that is where our expertise comes in. We can move freight. We get it done.”
Even though Canadian retailer the North West Company acquired North Star Air in June of last year, Meilleur says they still operate independently and aren’t weighted down by endless bureaucracy and red tape.
This airline isn’t offering any passenger flights in Thompson, but their cargo shipping services will be overlapping with Calm Air’s business.
“We are competition. There’s no doubt,” he said. “Are they happy? I’m sure they’re not. I wouldn’t be happy. But that’s the reality of what they have to deal with. Do I feel sorry for them? A little bit but not really, because it was their business to lose.”
On top of providing an additional option for long-distance shipping, North Star Air have hired 20 local staff, with plans to add another five employees somewhere down the line.
Meilleur also went out of his way to tell the chamber that the Thompson Airport played a big role in convincing North Star Air to set up shop here in the first place.
“You came this close to us being somewhere else and your airport crew just took us over the top, so give them credit for that.”
Because of this, Meilleur implored local business owners to support the Thompson Regional Airport Authority, which operates the airport, in whatever way they can, saying Manitoba airports don’t receive the same level of provincial and federal government backing as their Ontario counterparts.
“I think we need to engage politicians and engage the community as a whole and get behind the airport and their needs,” he said. “Because, if not indirectly, some of you are going to be paying for that, and it may jeopardize the long-term stability of Thompson, especially as your base goes down and your costs go up.”
Without this kind of widespread lobbying, Meilleur said that the TRAA might even be forced to increase their airport improvement fees, which went from $20 to $30 per person back in June 2017, once again.
