'It’s exciting': Flair Airlines cleared for takeoff out of Lethbridge

Fair Airlines, based out of Edmonton, is a discount carrier.

It's wheels up for Flair Airlines.

The discount carrier, which is adding Lethbridge to its routes, is keeping its licence to operate after an investigation by the Canadian Transportation Agency concluded on Wednesday that the company meets federal regulations.

"It’s exciting," said Mayor Blaine Hyggen. "To have the result today is exciting. I'm looking forward to having that flight here, it's a great option and what a fantastic opportunity."

Flair was forced to suspend operations while the Canadian Transportation Agency determined if it qualified as a Canadian airline since its biggest investor is American

"Though we never doubted it, it's still amazing for us to be able to stand here today and say Flair is Canadian," said Flair Airlines CEO Stephen Jones.

Flair announced at the beginning of April that a new flight from Lethbridge to Tucson, Arizona was being developed.

The airline says even though it's changing some of its corporate structure to comply with Canadian rules, that won't affect its ticket prices – including the one-way roughly $125 airfare from Lethbridge to Arizona.

"Low-cost carriers aren't complicated in concept, they're complicated in the execution of it, which is actually just sticking to the job of keeping your costs low, keeping your fares low and growing the business," said Jones.

Despite the turbulence the airline faced, Hyggen told CTV News on Wednesday that he was confident it would get the green light.

"I wasn’t concerned then and just to have this today to come out it just puts it to the point that Flair is here to stay and that's really exciting," said Hyggen.

Flair’s first flight is set to take off from Lethbridge on Dec. 1.