The CEO of the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority says he's doing his best to secure Westjet flights over the next couple of years and lower local ticket prices.

David Innes said Westjet is buying 40 new, smaller planes to service markets like Fredericton.

"We've been making regular trips to Calgary over the last decade as a matter of fact and as this news broke that they were going to get into the Q-400 sized aircraft, we were on them pretty consistently," he said.

Innes said Westjet will be expanding to new markets between the fall of 2013 and 2014.

The CEO also said the airport authority is also making progress lowering local ticket prices.

"The fares between Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John are the same and when they aren't the same, and again, we test this every week, and if we start to see some systematic increases in fares in Fredericton, we are on to Air Canada and complaining loudly that this should not occur," said Innes.

CBC News compared Air Canada prices to Toronto from Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John on a random weekend and found it can be as much as $150 cheaper to fly from Moncton.

Innes said there are sometimes discrepancies with Moncton because Air Canada will lower its prices to compete with Porter Airlines.