The federal government and Canada’s major airlines announced Friday that flights to sun destinations would be suspended until May in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.
Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, and Air Transat will be cancelling air service to all Caribbean destinations and Mexico from Jan. 31st until April 30th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a press conference Friday.
The airlines will be making arrangements with customers currently travelling in the affected regions to organize their return flights.
“We appreciate the work the Canadian airlines and their front line workers have done to make air travel safer and to bring Canadians home when this pandemic struck last spring,” Trudeau said.
“With the challenges we currently face with COVID-19 both here at home and abroad, we all agree that now is just not the time to be flying.”
Trudeau said the government is enacting the tough measures now and is committed to a safe restart to travel and tourism as soon as conditions improve, “ideally, later this year.”
Ottawa and airlines will be working together on the future of COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements, he added.
“This will enable the safe, gradual return to international air travel, grounded in science and evidence.”
The new measures follow Trudeau’s announcement that all Canadian travellers returning from overseas must take a COVID-19 test at the airport when they land and quarantine in a designated hotel for at least three days at their own expense.
Those who test negative will be allowed to quarantine at home for the remainder of the mandatory two week period. Those who test positive, however, must then quarantine in designated government facilities.