HALIFAX — Some of Atlantic Canada’s airports are going without commercial service starting today following Air Canada’s decision to cancel flights to Sydney, N.S., and Saint John, N.B., amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision announced in December leaves the Saint John Airport and the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport without commercial air service.

President and CEO of the Saint John Airport Authority Derrick Stanford says the last commercial flight out of the airport left at 7:30 a.m.

Stanford says the airport is still open for private jet service, medical evacuations and as a terminal for the Canadian Coast Guard.

Mike MacKinnon, CEO of the air terminal in Sydney, says the airport will shift to non-commercial service, including medical and cargo flights.

Stanford says he thinks the service reduction in Atlantic Canada will put the region at a disadvantage as the country begins its economic recovery.

SOURCE: The Canadian Press