Qualicum Beach will soon have two air carriers offering scheduled flights to Vancouver.
Oceanside Air will start offering regular service on Aug. 16, in addition to its chartered flights, according to owner Pavel Novak.
There will be five scheduled flights to Vancouver and back each weekday, said Novak, who has resided in Qualicum Beach for 17 years.
Oceanside Air will join Iskwew Air as the second carrier in Qualicum Beach Airport to offer regular flights to Vancouver.
“Competition brings people to the airport and it will be fine,” Novak said.
Oceanside Air flies passengers on its Piper Seneca II plane. Novak said a second plane will be operational next week and a third will enter service in a few months.
Novak was an airplane mechanic engineer for KD Air when it was still operating in Qualicum Beach’s airport, before he launched his own carrier.
Oceanside Air also offers chartered flights across a radius, extending to places such as Campbell River, Tofino, Whistler, Victoria, the West Coast Trail and the Okanagan.
