Flair Airlines CEO Has 'Complete Confidence' They Won't Get Shut Down & Flights Will Continue

"Ultra-low-cost carrier" Flair Airlines could lose its license to operate in Canada but the CEO said there is "complete confidence" that flights will continue.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) issued a preliminary determination on March 3, 2022, that Flair might not be controlled by Canadians and might not actually be "Canadian" enough to operate.

After the airline submitted a response to that initial determination, the CTA announced on May 4, 2022, that the process of reviewing all the information that was provided had begun.

The CTA panel will "consider all evidence" before making a final decision and if it finds that Flair isn't Canadian-owned, the airline's licences to operate would then be suspended.

A final public determination "with reasons and conclusions" will be issued by the CTA on June 1, 2022.

Flair Airlines CEO and President Stephen Jones told Narcity that the CTA review is "an administrative process" and there is "complete confidence" that Flair flights will continue to take off.

"We understand very clearly the CTA's areas of concern and we have made significant concessions to ensure a positive decision from the CTA," he said.

The CEO mentioned that Flair's "reason for being is to provide affordable travel for all Canadians," which he doesn't believe is the case with other carriers like WestJet and Air Canada.

"We're focused on the budget-sensitive Canadian who couldn't dream of affording air travel under the old Big Air regime," he said.

When asked if he had a message for Canadians who have purchased tickets with Flair for travel on or after June 1, 2022, Jones said, "See you up there."