Staff Writer
memara@fortfrances.com
With wildfires spreading through the region, the Fort Frances Airport has been busy selling fuel and setting sales records in June and July.
Tom Batiuk, airport supervisor, said the airport has been very busy this year with the dry conditions and the wildfires that have been burning in the region.
“[The fuel sales] have been a blessing for us financially,” Batiuk said. “[Fires] began very early this year. I think we had our first fire in the region in March. We had helicopters here pretty much from the beginning of April until now with fast attack capabilities. This is the busiest fire season that we’ve ever had in the 11 years that I’ve been at the airport.”
When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic last March, everything was up in the air – except most flights. There were no exceptions to this. Private airports also experienced unprojected deficits.
Tom Batiuk, Fort Frances Airport supervisor, said operations at the airport drastically changed with the hit of the pandemic.
“The airline industry is suffering tremendously from COVID,” Batiuk said. “It’s not just in Fort Frances. It’s all over the globe.”
Bearskin Airlines is the only scheduled service provider that comes to Fort Frances. Batiuk said most of their flights originate out of Thunder Bay. Flight times to Thunder Bay average about 40 to 50 minutes from Fort Frances.