Two small airports in northern New Brunswick are looking into the possibility of offering direct flights to the Alberta oil patch.

It's a familiar journey for many people who live in the province but have been forced by major job losses to head west for well-paying jobs.

The Charlo airport, which has no commercial flights now, wants to tap into that market, and make the trip a bit easier.

Airport chairman Adolphe Goulette said Thursday that, working together with the Miramichi airport, he can set up a flight to travel from Charlo to Miramichi and then straight out to Alberta.

"If we can provide them with a way to get there and back, and save them time, then it’s a day more that they can spend with their family while they’re here," Goulette said.

Most workers now fly out of Moncton — a three-hour drive from Charlo.

Lucy Parent-Poirier knows the drive all too well. Her husband, Maurice Poirier, works as an electrician in Fort McMurray, Alta., three weeks out of each month. He spends the fourth week at home in Charlo.

"He is tired because he works 20 days in a row, and he doesn’t have breaks at all in between," Parent-Poirier said.

"So, saving him three hours drive arriving, that would be perfect. And not just for him, a lot of guys are like that."

Goulette said he has the community’s support for his idea. Now, he just needs an airline to get on board with the plan.