Early bookings for the direct Kamloops to Toronto flight are a little better than they were last year, but there is always room for improvements.

That is according to Kamloops Airport Managing Director Ed Ratuski who is looking forward to welcoming the service back after a successful 2018.

He says the closer to capacity that the flights are, the better it is for Kamloops.

“Especially a fledgling route such as this one, we have to make sure that the route is successful to ensure it continues year after year,” he said. “Expanding the service will definitely depend on how successful the initial services are.”

The flights were due to start on June 20, but it was pushed back a couple of weeks because of aircraft shortages after Boeing 787 Max 8 and 9 aircrafts were grounded earlier this year.

Ratuski is urging Kamloopsians to use the flight during the two months that it will be in operation.

“Particularly for friends and family travel throughout the summer, if they’ve got people coming in or they are heading out east,” he added.

“We are also working with Tourism Kamloops who are promoting the service inbound in Toronto as well. We just want to make sure the local community is aware of the service and makes good use of it.”

The flights will run once a week on Thursday, starting tomorrow until the end of August.