The Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge is ready for takeoff as the Greater Sudbury Airport sets sights on path to pandemic recovery and focus on passenger experience.

Great things are cooking at the Greater Sudbury Airport as the Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge opens its doors in the terminal, offering tasty treats and a picture-perfect runway view to passengers and airport visitors. Since early July, this brand-new restaurant has been open and offering a “soft launch” experience with a limited menu while it ramped up to build a best-in-class relaxed airport dining experience. Following its initial success, the time has come for the official launch and grand opening of the Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge and the Greater Sudbury Airport is inviting everyone to attend.

Members of the community, including all aviation enthusiasts, are cordially invited to attend the upcoming grand opening event. The event will take place at the Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge, located within the terminal on the upper level of the Greater Sudbury Airport, 5000 Air Terminal Drive, on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. The event will feature a ribbon cutting, complimentary menu samples and a special “Grand Opening” discount to anyone dining at the restaurant. Those in attendance will also have the chance to be entered to win great prizes as part of the Airport’s Summer Giveaway social media contest.

The Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge is owned and operated by Ranjodh Singh and Lakhvir Singh Mann, both of whom have a strong background in the food and hospitality industry. The restaurant’s menu will continue to grow and evolve to cater to the needs of the travelling public. Currently, the menu features a wide assortment of options including sandwiches and all-day breakfast and specials such as butter chicken. The Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge is also in the application process for a liquor license. The restaurant is open 7 days a week from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, with hours extending in the event of flight interruptions.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge to the airport,” said Giovanna Verrilli, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Sudbury Airport. “Our passengers and members of the community have been very open with us about the need for a restaurant in our terminal. We are excited to be able to offer a casual dining experience following months of dedicated work with our airport partners, while navigating the current challenges faced in the aviation industry. This is just the beginning of the great things to come for our airport.” She goes on to say, that improving the passenger experience in-terminal is critical while working closely with airline and aviation partners on recovery, “Regional airports across Canada are recovering at a much slower pace than large airports due to the ongoing resource constraints amongst airlines. We want to ensure we have our facility in top shape when the recovery rebounds.”
While the Greater Sudbury Airport is on a positive flight path toward recovery, the COVID-19 pandemic had overwhelming impacts on the aviation sector, and the Greater Sudbury Airport, along with most Canadian regional airports, continue to feel the effects of the pandemic. Over the turbulent recent years climbing out of the COVID-19 pandemic, regional airports have struggled to gain the altitude needed to return to pre-pandemic flying levels while the aviation landscape has changed significantly.

“The launch of the Fly Sudbury Café & Lounge is a signal of the positive momentum building at the Greater Sudbury Airport as recovery efforts are underway,” said David Paquette, Chair of the Board of the Sudbury Airport Community Development Corporation. “The airport is continuing to push forward, making sure all our airport and community partners are at the table, as we focus our efforts on restoring air service, improving passenger experience, and building our long-term strategic plan to guide us over the coming years.”

As the Greater Sudbury Airport looks to continuously improve its service offerings, passenger experience remains a top priority. This work includes partnering with local transportation company, Aaron Group, to offer a discounted rate and convenience in arranging ground transportation for individuals arriving or
departing the airport as well as offering Aaron’s new premium black car service, Aaron Luxe, at the Greater Sudbury Airport. As part of this partnership with Aaron, individuals booking airport transportation with Aaron Taxi or Aaron Luxe service will receive a 10% discount in their fare. Additionally, an automated kiosk is being trialed at the airport for passengers to easily arrange their ground transportation. Plans for a permanent automated kiosk are being finalized as the trial progresses and will be installed once the software is fine-tuned and we better understand the needs of our passengers. Through this partnership, we are developing new methods and waypoints for passengers to easily discover, access, book and locate convenient ground transportation. Recognizing the geographical distance between the airport and surrounding areas of Greater Sudbury, as well as the limited options available, ground transportation is a priority to improve passenger experience.