The premier flight of Elite Airways to Halifax, previously scheduled to depart Portland International Jetport Friday at 10 a.m., was postponed at the last minute.

Due to a computer breakdown with the reservation system, the flight start date has been delayed two weeks, until July 13, an Elite Airways spokesperson confirmed Thursday.





“This is the worse case scenario,” said spokesperson Rebecca Ayers. “You never want to delay a start date.”

The 80-minute flight aboard the 50-person aircraft was to take passengers and media over to Nova Scotia’s capital and return on Sunday. The ribbon cutting ceremony at Halifax Stanfield International Airport has been dashed. The new route, the first international flight to leave from Portland in years, is being closely watched. Once up and running, Elite plans to fly between the two cities twice a week, with an extension service to Florida.

“We are working closely with the airport in Halifax and looking to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We will move the date up if we can,” said Ayers.

“We will be contacting all passengers who booked flights, offering refunds or rebooking them for other dates,” she said.