MONTREAL — Air Canada is reportedly suspending 17 international routes in the wake of Canada’s increasingly strict travel restrictions and severely negatively impacted demand amid the pandemic.
The CBC and 680 News are reporting that Air Canada is suspending the following routes:
- Toronto – Bogota (Feb. 16)
- Toronto – Boston (Feb. 16)
- Toronto – Denver (Feb. 17)
- Toronto – Dubai (startup postponed)
- Toronto – Dublin (Feb. 12)
- Toronto – Fort Myers (Feb. 14)
- Toronto – Hong Kong (startup postponed)
- Toronto – La Guardia (Feb. 17)
- Toronto – Sao Paulo (Feb. 16)
- Toronto – Tel Aviv (continued suspension)
- Toronto – Washington (Reagan) (Feb. 17)
- Montreal – Boston (Feb. 17)
- Montreal – Bogota (Feb. 13)
- Montreal – LaGuardia (Feb. 17)
- Vancouver – London (Feb. 14)
- Vancouver – Narita (Feb. 15)
- Vancouver – Seattle (Feb. 16)
The federal government’s strict new travel measures, announced Jan. 29, 2021 and coming on top of existing travel measures, include mandatory hotel quarantines for inbound travellers for up to 3 days and a cost of $2,000 while awaiting PCR test results. With a negative PCR test result travellers finish their 14-day quarantine at home. If the PCR test is positive travellers must wait out their quarantine in a government facility.
Air Canada along with Canada’s other 3 major carriers had already suspended all winter sun flights to Mexico and the Caribbean until April 30, 2021, upon request from the federal government.
Job cuts impacting up to 1,500 employees are also part of the suspensions reported today. Severely negatively impacted demand for travel amid the pandemic has also brought cuts to Air Canada’s domestic programs, most recently in Atlantic Canada.
