Provincial Airlines is offering flights from Charlo to Wabush three days a week. (Provincial Airlines)

The Charlo Airport is now offering regular flights to Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Provincial Airlines began operating the service on a trial basis in October, but recently announced the demand was sufficient to make the flights permanent.

Adolphe Goulet, chairman of the board of directors for the northern New Brunswick village's airport, is thrilled.

It's the first time in years the airport has had an airline operating regular flights several times a week, he said.

"Without any ads whatsoever, just word of mouth, we thought that was pretty good and so did Provincial Airlines," he said.

Many of the passengers are oil and construction workers travelling to Wabush, Goose Bay, Schefferville and Fermont, Quebec.

As it stands, Wabush is the only direct flight, which is currently available three days a week, said Goulet.

But he hopes to see service increase in the coming months.

"People are quite happy with the service and happy with the facilities that we have at Charlo," Goulet said.

"We thought — if we could make it a permanent flight and have the proper ads for it, companies that hire people to work up in that area would know this was a permanent flight, they would probably want to use it."

Goulet plans to meet with representatives from Provincial Airlines next week to come up with a marketing plan.

Air Labrador ended its service in Charlo and Miramichi in 2001, saying there weren't enough passengers to justify flying into the northern New Brunswick communities.

The Bathurst Airport had been the only northern airport to offer regular passenger service.