Swoop, the low-cost Canadian airline, has launched its inaugural flight to Charlottetown Airport from Hamilton International Airport. Swoop flight WO170 took off from Hamilton this morning at 7:50 a.m. EST, receiving a warm welcome upon arrival in Charlottetown at 11:00 a.m. local time.

“As Canada’s leading ultra-low fare airline, we are pleased to kick off our Atlantic Canada expansion with this inaugural flight to Charlottetown today,” said Bert van der Stege, Head of Commercial and Finance, Swoop. “This is the first of 11 inaugurals Swoop will celebrate across the region this summer as we expand our ultra-low fare offering on the east coast.”

In the coming weeks, Swoop will be adding service to Moncton and Saint John, NB and Deer Lake and St. John’s, NL, as well as adding frequencies on existing routes to Halifax. “With this investment, we highlight our commitment to Atlantic Canada and recognize the importance of the tourism economy,” continued Van der Stege.

Swoop will also operate its first non-stop service between Edmonton and Halifax and it is also launching non-stop Charlottetown service from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Starting June 16, Swoop will begin non-stop service to Charlottetown from Edmonton International Airport.

The arrival of the inaugural flight was warmly welcomed with a gate-side celebration at Charlottetown Airport, where travellers were joined by Bert van der Stege, Swoop’s Head of Commercial and Finance, James Aylward, PEI Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Jason Coady, City of Charlottetown Deputy Mayor, Doug Newson, CEO, Charlottetown Airport Authority, and Patrick MacFadyen, Vice-Chair, Charlottetown Airport Authority. Cathie Puckering, President and CEO of Hamilton International Airport, joined travellers on the inaugural flight from Hamilton.

“We know how important affordable air travel is to the recovery of the tourism economy and are proud to mark this occasion with our partners from the City of Charlottetown, the PEI Provincial Government, Discover Charlottetown and Charlottetown Airport,” continued van der Stege. “Swoop is thankful for the ongoing partnership and support of all these organizations; and we look forward to continuing to work together to bring more ultra-low-cost options to visit Charlottetown and for Islanders to travel to Toronto, Hamilton and Edmonton.”