Some Yukoners want scheduled flights to return to village of Mayo

Residents of Mayo, Yukon and the surrounding communities say they miss AirNorth's scheduled flights in and out of the community.

The public flight service to the community began in 2018 to serve the mining industry in the region, but was cut in 2020.

Four years later, some residents want the company to consider reinstating the service.

One of those residents is Anne Leckie, who has called the Mayo area home for the past 40 years.

"I'm a senior citizen," she said, explaining that when she has to see a specialist she currently has to find someone to drive her to and from Whitehorse.

"I think it would be much more economical to be able to just fly down and fly back," she said.

Leckie said there are other reasons to bring back flights to Mayo.

"There are students who are in school in Whitehorse who would want to come home," she said. "Or who are in B.C."

Leckie also said it's not just about convenience but also safety. She explained that highway conditions during the winter months are sometimes too dangerous to drive, and a quick flight would be safer.

The idea of bringing public flights back is a suggestion that's also received a wealth of support on Mayo social media pages, with people citing how convenient it would be.

According to Leckie there's always been a need for transportation to and from other communities. Back in the 1980s and 1990s there were scheduled flights three times a week out of Mayo, she said. And there was once a bus from Stewart Crossing.

"When AirNorth introduced schedule flights for the year or two before Covid, it was really helpful because it had been twenty years that we hadn't had any way of getting to and from Whitehorse in particular than by private vehicle."

Leckie said flights used to go from Whitehorse, to Mayo, to Dawson City, but now they only go to Dawson City.

Even a couple of flights per week in and out of Mayo might be enough, she added.