Canada Jetlines becomes second Ontario airline to postpone service at Melbourne airport

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In a second winter-season Canadian tourism blow, Canada Jetlines will postpone its launch of service between Toronto and Melbourne Orlando International Airport, citing "unforeseen operational issues."

Canada Jetlines, a startup air carrier, was initially scheduled to start offering two nonstop flights per week linking Melbourne with Toronto Pearson International Airport on Jan. 19.

That date was later pushed back a month, to Feb. 16. But then Friday, Melbourne airport officials announced a second, open-ended postponement, saying "once these issues are resolved, (Canada Jetlines) will announce details regarding updated flight schedules."

“As an airport, we recognize that there are always risks associated when partnering with new airlines, however, our team will continue to aggressively pursue new air service to support the business and leisure travel needs of our community,” Greg Donovan, airport executive director, said in a press release.

More:Sun Country launches seasonal flights between Melbourne and frigid Minneapolis-St. Paul

More:Melbourne airport unveils $72M 'coastal-casual' terminal expansion amid historic traffic

“The Toronto market has historically been successful for MLB, and we are confident that it will continue to thrive moving forward," Donovan said.

In a separate Friday announcement, Canada Jetlines said it had entered into a $1.5 million loan with a holding company controlled by one of the company's directors. The airline plans to use loan proceeds "for aircraft acquisition, general corporate and working capital purposes," the company website said.

Donovan was unavailable for comment Friday afternoon. Canada Jetlines media representatives could not be reached for comment.

Back in December, Sunwing Airlines, a Toronto-based carrier, was scheduled to launch seasonal nonstop routes between Melbourne and Toronto; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

But that arrangement never materialized. Instead, Sunwing postponed service until fall 2023.

Sunwing was supposed to fly Boeing 737-800 aircraft, while Canada Jetlines flies 174-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.

Last month, Melbourne airport officials hosted a gala ribbon-cutting ceremony for the long-awaited $72 million terminal expansion project. Total passengers at the airport soared from 372,287 in 2021 to 701,257 last year — an 88% jump, thanks to TUI's influx of tourists from the United Kingdom.

Last year's total-passenger count ranked as the second-highest in airport history, trailing only 1990 when Eastern Air Lines, Pan Am and Continental served the airport.

Sun Country launched nonstop seasonal flights last week linking Melbourne with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Those twice-weekly flights will continue through April 28.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Canada Jetlines postpones service at Melbourne Orlando International Airport