Discount airline NewLeaf Travel returns to the skies July 25

The Canadian Press

NewLeaf Travel Chief Commercial Officer Dean Dacko

Dean Dacko, Chief Commercial Officer of NewLeaf Travel speaks at a press conference in the arrivals area of the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport , The Canadian Press

Discount airfare ticket seller NewLeaf Travel is back in business five months after it abruptly shut down to await a federal regulatory ruling.

Travellers can purchase tickets starting Thursday from the Winnipeg-based startup, with the first flight scheduled for take off on July 25.

The company has also added five more destinations to its service, which now include Halifax, Moncton, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, B.C., Kamloops, B.C., Fort St. John, B.C., Abbotsford, B.C. and Victoria.

When it originally launched in January, NewLeaf billed itself as an alternative to airline juggernauts like Air Canada (AC.TO) and WestJet(WJA.TO) by offering bargain-priced "no frills" flights. It advertises flights for as low at $79 one-way including all taxes and fees.

But just a week after the company started selling tickets, it hit some turbulence over whether it needed a licence to operate. NewLeaf contended that it did not require a licence because it does not operate airplanes and only resells seats from Kelowna, B.C.-based Flair Airlines.

In late March, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruled in favour of NewLeaf and cleared the runway for the company to resume ticket sales.