Pascan Takes Off in the Saint John Region: Providing Regional Connectivity

From left to right: Sandy Ross, President & CEO, YSJ; Yani Gagnon, Executive VP, CFO, Pascan; Julian Roberts, President & CEO, Pascan; Jamie DeGrace, Director of Operations, YSJ

Pascan, a regional airline with deep roots in Canadian aviation, officially launched service in the Saint John Region in September, marking an exciting expansion for both the airline and the community.

President and CEO, Julian Roberts grew up in a small Quebec fishing community. It was his first flight at eight years old that led him to his current role as President and CEO of Pascan Airlines.

“The sensation of flight, being on that aircraft, and seeing the pilots just had a huge impact on me. I couldn’t get it out of my mind,” he explained. This early exposure sparked a dream that he would chase for the rest of his life.

Julian was fascinated by every aspect of aviation - not just of flying but of understanding and working on aircrafts as well.

“I wanted to be a pilot, a mechanic, and even the controller in the tower. In my mind, that person in the tower was the boss of all the planes in the sky,” he said.

Throughout his school years, Julian poured himself into aviation, studying aircraft fabrication, working ground crew positions, and even tackling multiple jobs at once just to be at the airport. He shared how he worked days, nights, and weekends because he just loved being there.

In 2004, Julian joined Pascan, a company dating back to 1999, founded by Serge Charron with just a nine-seat aircraft and a mission to introduce modern, single-engine turboprop planes to Canada. At the time, people and governments were skeptical about single-engine planes, but Charron’s vision and persistence paid off. He grew the business to seven planes on charter contracts, successfully proving that small, modern aircrafts had a place in the Canadian market.  Fast forward to today and Pascan now operates a fleet of nine SAAB340B 33 seat regional aircraft.

Since opening their Saint John route, Pascan has seen a steady increase in passenger numbers, signaling a strong demand for regional flights.

“Expanding to Saint John and other smaller communities is what Pascan is all about,” Julian explained. “We’re here to provide safe, efficient, and affordable air travel to areas that need it most. We’ve faced our share of challenges, but seeing the appreciation from passengers and knowing we’re making a difference – that’s what keeps us moving forward.”

According to Julian, expanding to new markets is not always smooth sailing, and YSJ was no different.

“We were hoping that the start would have had a lot more passengers,” he said. “Although it started slow, we do see a consistent increase week after week.”

Julian explained how he believes the slow uptake stems from the fact that the region has been burned a lot over the years.

“Companies have come in, they've left, they've come back, they've left again, and they have left people stranded to change their plans at the last minute. I think there's still some skepticism that exists. Our objective is to be there day in and day out, on time, and people are starting to see that.” 

Julian said Pascan has worked hard to get here, and they are going to continue to work to provide for the community. 

The regional airline is also now preparing to launch a new service to downtown Montreal. The midday service will operate Tuesday through Friday starting on Dec. 31.

With each new route, Pascan Airlines continues to fulfill its mission of connecting Eastern Canada, one community at a time, demonstrating a unique resilience and dedication to the people they serve.