Transport committee  If we always ask users to pay, we will definitely find ourselves in a similar situation to the present one. As you said, it costs less to fly to Paris than to certain regions. That's obviously an example that people have in mind. They realize that it costs less to buy an all-inclusive package than to go on vacation in Canada.

Transport committee  Risk management is definitely the type of funding most used because it's what airlines need most. They have to make sure they can offset losses when they have to finance flights that aren't full; they have to offset the lost revenue. These three types of financing are important, but I would say that 90% of the budget is really used for risk management.

Transport committee  The Quebec government gave us a mandate to support the development of direct airlines to Quebec only two years ago. We had an initial budget of $10 million, but we have almost used it up.

Transport committee  We're talking about international flights here.

Transport committee  That's correct. The point I wanted to make is that we think this model could be reproduced for flights within Quebec or within another province in Canada, from major centres to the regions.

Transport committee  As I said in my opening remarks, we view regional air transport as a service that's essential if we want to occupy the land. If there's no air transport to travel to the regions, that will undermine the vitality of those regions. We're convinced that tourism is the way to keep those regions alive and help them flourish.

Transport committee  I'm going to cite a number from Air Canada as an example. A flight from Montreal to Rouyn-Noranda covers a distance of 640 kilometres. A flight from Washington to Charlotte, North Carolina, is also a 640-kilometre flight. To travel the same flight distance, you have to pay $158 in charges in Canada and $73 in the United States.

Transport committee  Looking strictly at the numbers, in 2022, we returned to 76% of the flight volume we had before the pandemic. Those are the most recent figures we have. So we haven't returned to normal levels yet. Two years have elapsed since then and one wonders if the effects of the pandemic are still being felt or if it's a decline in flight availability.

Transport committee  Honestly, I'd say that ticket prices are a problem. As I was saying earlier, we have $500 tickets in Quebec, but the program applies only to flights departing from Montreal, Quebec City and Saint-Hubert airport. So it doesn't apply to interregional flights.

Transport committee  There are some, but the flights aren't reliable. It's something you rarely see. Most international tourists visit Quebec's main regions. Ninety-eight per cent or 99% of the tourists who travel to remote regions are Quebeckers.

Transport committee  Yes. The Quebec government has mandated that we administer a program. Two years ago, it invested $10 million to create new international connections. I'll tell you how that relates to regional tourism. There are target markets in Mexico, France and certain places in the United States, for example, where people want more direct flights.

Transport committee  Thank you very much. My name is Sébastien Benedict, and I am the vice-president for public affairs and communications at the Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec. The Alliance is a non-profit organization that represents 12,000 businesses and 50 regional and sectoral tourism associations.