‘Large for Manitoba’: New direct flight to Los Angeles from Winnipeg

Winnipeggers itching to go to Hollywood are going to have a better time making the journey by air.

WestJet is ready to supply three year-round direct flights per week from Winnipeg’s airport to Los Angeles.

“That is enormous for Manitoba,” says Premier Heather Stefanson. “What WestJet is asserting immediately is completely unimaginable for our financial system right here in Manitoba, for tourism, for therefore many various industries right here in Manitoba.”

Based on Stefanson, a direct route from Winnipeg to L.A. will bolster Manitoba’s thriving movie business, which introduced in $365 million to the province’s financial system final 12 months, regardless of setbacks from the pandemic.

This announcement comes after the province spent nearly $5 million in an effort to extend direct flights between Winnipeg and different main worldwide areas final week. These funds got here from the province’s $50-million Pandemic Lengthy-Time period Restoration Fund.

Interim CEO for Manitoba Movie and Music, Rod Bruinooge, anticipates the route will provide dramatic progress for the business.

“Once I was concerned within the business 20 years in the past, we might get about $30 million in movie enterprise a 12 months. This previous 12 months, we’re into a 3rd of a billion, which is a dramatic progress,” he says. “Managing that progress is at all times difficult, however we’re seeing enormous bulletins taking place within the subsequent variety of months–this one is the beginning of it.

“By having a direct path to Manitoba, movie productions which are very large-scale will contemplate coming right here.”

The primary direct flight to L.A. will take off on Halloween.

— With information from Sam Thompson

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