VICTORIA –Seaplane airline, Harbour Air, announced the rollout of their first-ever wheeled flight service between Vancouver International Airport’s (YVR) South Terminal and YYJ Victoria International Airport from November 4th, 2024.
Launching November 4, 2024 with up to 3 daily round-trip flights Monday to Friday, the addition of wheeled flights and ability to fly during hours of darkness marks a first for the seaplane airline, as it has traditionally only flown during visible daylight hours due to its aircraft operating on floats and water.
With the addition of wheeled aircraft, Harbour Air is responding to increased market demand from local and business travelers seeking flexible early morning and late evening options previously unserved by Harbour Air. The converted Canadian-built 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft will have wheels and de-icing equipment installed which will enable them to fly in diverse winter weather and operate at airports outside of daylight hours, providing additional flight times and more choice for travelers.
“We’re very excited to launch our first-ever wheeled flights between YVR’s South Terminal and YYJ Victoria International Airport and provide passengers with new flexible early morning and late evening commuting options”, states Chris Fordyce, VP Commercial, Harbour Air Group.
“We know how much our customers value our product; however, being limited to flying during daylight-only hours has prevented us from operating at key times desired during winter. The ability to fly in darkness and operate at airports on wheels is a game changer for us and will provide increased convenience for passengers travelling along these routes. With the combination of wheeled and seaplane flights, Harbour Air will offer more daily frequencies than any other regional transport carrier along this route.”
“Harbour Air provides direct and convenient access from YVR across the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, up to Whistler and into Seattle. We are thrilled that they are introducing for the first time a wheeled aircraft on their route from Vancouver to Victoria and about the added flexibility this brings for travelers. We look forward to the new aircraft taking off on November 4,” said Russell Atkinson, Director, Air Service Development at YVR.
Harbour Air’s new wheeled flights are a quick flight between Vancouver and Victoria, which makes it especially handy for daily business travel during the week. The schedule for Harbour Air’s new wheeled flight service is as follows:
Starting November 4, 2024: Monday-Friday
- From YVR Airport (South Terminal): 7:15am, 4:00pm*, 6:25pm
- From YYJ Victoria International Airport: 8:30am, 5:15pm*, 7:45pm
* December 2, 2024 – February 28, 2025 only
“YYJ welcomes the new service between YVR’s South Terminal and Victoria. The team at Harbour Air have developed a great schedule which provides an additional travel option for Vancouver Islanders needing to get to the mainland”, said Elizabeth Brown, Victoria Airport Authority President and CEO. “We look forward to the success of this exciting and unique new route.”
In addition to the launch of the new wheeled flight service, Harbour Air has also made recent changes across their flight network to increase seating capacity and frequency along other routes. This includes additional daily flights being added for Powell River-downtown Vancouver and Powell River-Richmond (YVR South) starting in October; additional capacity for Nanaimo connector flights for Sechelt; and additional capacity for existing Victoria seaplane flights between downtown Vancouver and Victoria Harbour Airport.
Source: Harbour Air & Business Examiner
