The Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) has been advised that Canada Jetlines will postpone the start of their service between Toronto and Melbourne. The startup air carrier planned to celebrate its inaugural flight to Melbourne on Feb. 16, but due to unforeseen operational issues, service will be delayed. The airline stated once these issues are resolved, it 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,” said MLB Executive Director Greg Donovan, AAE. “The Toronto market has historically been successful for MLB, and we are confident that it will continue to thrive moving forward.
MLB boasts domestic service from Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Sun Country, along with international service on TUI, which began in March 2022. Jetlines is MLB’s second international partnership.
MLB experienced great success in 2022, reporting an 88.4% increase in passengers over the previous year. Much of that growth is due to the strong performance of the TUI routes, demonstrating the strength of the Space Coast in the international travel market. More than 240,000 of the 701,257 individuals who used MLB in 2022 were international passengers.
“Our first season with TUI was an incredible success. By all measures, we exceeded expectations and established MLB as a top-ten ranked airport across all TUI destinations,” said Donovan. “We intend to continue to build on that success and intend to apply that playbook to foster ongoing air service partnerships at MLB.”
“At MLB we pride ourselves on building strong partnerships and we stand ready to support Jetlines as they work through these challenges. When they are ready to fly, we will be ready to welcome them to the Space Coast,” said Donovan.
