Prince Rupert's Digby Island airport has a new Manager, with Michael Pucci named to the post last week filling a vacancy that dates back to the Fall of 2021.
The managerial post which had been open since the departure of Rick Leach in the fall of 2021, was most recently the subject of an extensive executive search which closed in March of this year.
The note of his appointment coming from the Airport Board by way of a short article through the weekly newspaper, which notes of his previous work with DP World, as well as Mr Pucci's current service on the Board of BC Ferries as important themes towards his selection.
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| Bio from BC Ferries Board of Directors page |
Though considering the long running search for a new administrator for the community's aviation gateway, it's somewhat puzzling why the appointment hasn't been given more attention and prominence considering the many available information portals both the airport and City of Prince Rupert have to use.
When it comes to sharing the notes of their success of their late June decision, the Airport board has yet to make note of it on the Prince Rupert Airport home page,
Likewise, the culmination of the extensive search did not rate a mention for City of Prince Rupert home page, Facebook page or even the social media forum for the Office of the Economic Development and Transportation Manager for the City of Prince Rupert.
So perhaps one of the priorities for Mr. Pucci as he takes on his duties, will be to improve the communication focus for the Airport which at the moment ranges from rather limited to non existent.
That somewhat apparent from the few notes added to their website in recent months and no maintenance at all it seems to their Social media page.
Those two communication options do make for the face of the airport for the most part, offering a valuable window to indicate the airports vitality and vision for service to the community and beyond and for a while now they do not seem to have been used with much efficiency.
Communication at the moment however, is probably a lower level issue for the new Airport head, who takes on a job that has seen some challenging times owing to the impact of COVID over the last few years and growing competition and flight options from just ninety minutes down the highway in Terrace.
The financial picture is provided for the community through the City's Financial Variance Reports, which while focused on the Airport Ferry operations, is a good guide as to how the airport is faring.
With the City's Chief Financial Officer Corinne Bomben also providing some thumbnail sketches on occasion into airport operations as part of those presentations.
The most recent financial notes on the Airport Ferry Variances came from the April report, which was delivered as part of the June 13th Council session.
The Airport Board noted in their announcement through the paper of travel levels returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Though as a reminder, those levels are still lower than the service previously offered by Air Canada prior to COVID, when they offered a service with twice a day flight options .
As for the ability to take on the competition from the east, the only real solution to that it would seem is going to be to entice other airlines beyond Air Canada to offer service.
A project that over the last seven years since the demise of Hawkair has not apparently been one to realize much success.
The City's quest for improved service doesn't seem to be a high priority for their current provider, with Air Canada holding to its one flight a day schedule and this summer actually reducing its schedule to many other destinations across Canada, so any progress seems a bit off yet towards any hopes for an increase of flight movements in and out of YPR.
During the course of the June State of the City presentation, Mayor Lee Brain made note of a pair of areas that the city has focused on the airport, one element was the plans for relocation of the Airport Ferry Dock as part of their current waterfront project focus.
The Mayor also noted of hopes of the City selling off the Airport Ferry to another operator, though Mr. Brain offered few details on how that proposal may be moving forward.
The Mayor also observed of hopes one day to create a form of option to reduce the isolation of the airport through a shorter ferry/road connection to Digby Island.
Hopefully, now that there is someone in charge to explain airport themes and where the airport is going, City Council will extend an invitation for Mr. Pucci to provide an update for Council an the community.
Once Mr. Pucci has had a chance to settle in (sometime after the end of this month when he reportedly takes up his duties) maybe we'll gain some insight on the current status of the airport and what plans the new Manager has in mind towards improvements and increasing the level of passenger travel through the city's aviation gateway.
More notes on aviation themes in the Northwest an past items of interest from the Prince Rupert airport can be explore from our archive page.
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