Thank you for your question.
Subsidizing Air Canada or other major air carriers, which will compete on regional markets, makes zero sense. Efforts should instead focus on forcing major air carriers to refund plane tickets purchased before the pandemic. The government is holding out a carrot to them by giving them money so that they would once again serve the regions, even though Pascan and regional air carriers across Canada have taken over. We can provide that service.
The only reason major air carriers like Air Canada are investing as massively in regional transportation is that they will pick up 30%, 35% or even 40% of the regional volume to provide international or interprovincial connections. We are already present at large international airports, including the Quebec City airport. We have the necessary authorizations to provide regular flights at the Montreal international airport. We are not currently doing that owing to a lack of demand and volume, but absolutely nothing prevents us from doing it and offering connections to passengers.
If the federal government continues to insist on subsidizing large air carriers for regional service, there will be serious repercussions for small regional carriers like Pascan.