In recent years, ticket prices for regional air routes have been relatively high due to low demand and long distances. Governmental intervention is therefore necessary to reduce the cost of air travel and to make this mode of transportation more accessible for travel to certain regions of Québec.
As a result, the Québec government has implemented the Regional Air Access Program (RAAP) which is divided into two components:
The goal of the Regional Air Access Program is to allow Quebecers to travel by air at an affordable price.
Companies listed on the Register of Companies Not Eligible for Public Contracts (RENA – Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics) are not eligible for this program.
Component 1 allows residents of eligible regions to be reimbursed by the Ministère for a portion of the cost of an airline ticket for travel within Québec. This reimbursement varies depending on the region’s degree of isolation and remoteness.
The objective of Component 1 is to promote air travel for residents of remote and isolated regions of Québec.
The air carrier must hold a domestic commercial licence (small or medium aircraft) issued by the Canadian Transportation Agency.
The origin and final destination of the trip must be located in Québec. Eligible expenses also include travel to and from border airports that provide access to certain regions of Québec, such as Wabush, Ottawa, Deer Lake, and Charlo. The Ministère reserves the right to modify the list of designated border airports at any time.
Travel for school and extracurricular activities may be eligible even if partially reimbursed by a legal entity.
Once the allocated budgets have been exhausted, the Ministère reserves the right to refuse requests for reimbursement.
Anyone making a false claim to obtain a reimbursement to which they are not entitled is liable to have their request denied and may be penalized according to the severity of the act. In such case:
The applicant must include with their form or online request:
Additional documentation may be required for review or as part of an audit by the Ministère. The following documents must be retained by the applicant for a period of two years:
The Ministère may verify the applicant’s place of residence with government authorities such as Revenu Québec or the applicant’s employer.
Component 2 supports air carriers serving targeted routes by providing financial assistance to make airline tickets available at a maximum price of $500 round trip or $250 one way.
For each eligible ticket sold, financial assistance is paid directly to air carriers according to the calculation parameters set out in the program’s terms and conditions.
The objective of Component 2 is to make affordable air travel available on the routes targeted by the program.
To be eligible for financial assistance, tickets must be sold for travel between Montréal, Saint-Hubert, or Québec City airports and one of the following destinations:
Map of eligible air routes (June 2022) (in French only)
The following tickets are not eligible for financial assistance:
In the event of a false claim by a passenger, with respect to the above, the passenger agrees to reimburse the Ministère directly for any amounts paid by the Ministère to the carrier for the sale of that ticket under Component 2. The passenger will also be excluded from the Regional Air Access Program for the duration of the program if they misrepresent their eligibility.
The program is also open to travellers who do not reside in Québec. However, during the course of the program, the Ministère may limit the sale of tickets to Québec residents after giving 60 days’ notice via publication on its website and communication sent to air carriers participating in the program.
The amount of financial assistance provided to participating carriers for each eligible ticket is predetermined for each eligible route. For more details, please consult the Financial Aid Grid by Route (in French only).
In order for a ticket to be eligible for financial assistance, it must be sold at a maximum price—at the time of the program’s effective date (including airport and air security fees and taxes)—of:
For the duration of the regulatory framework, the maximum price may be adjusted, on April 1 of each year, according to the annual change in the all items average consumer price index for Québec, excluding alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and recreational cannabis, for the 12-month period ending on September 30 of the year preceding the year for which the price is to be adjusted.
During the course of the program, if an increase in airport and air security fees is applied directly to the ticket, the maximum sale price may increase by the same amount as these fees and still be eligible for financial assistance.
To obtain reimbursement, the person whose name appears on the airline ticket must submit the request, including the required documents:
Carriers wishing to obtain financial assistance must submit a request to the Ministère specifying, for each route, the frequency of flights and the type of aircraft used. The Ministère may request any additional information it deems relevant to the calculation of the monthly ticket allowance per route.
Requests should be sent to transport.aerien@transports.gouv.qc.ca from the carrier’s email address.
Please note that it may take up to 90 business days to process a request from the time it is received.
For more information, please contact the Ministère:
By phone:
By email:
Notice to persons with disabilities: The forms in this section may contain accessibility barriers. You can get help by contacting the Ministère. See above.
© Gouvernement du Québec, 2023
