WestJet is cutting service to another four Canadian cities due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flights between St. John’s and Halifax, and London, Ont., and Toronto will be temporarily suspended as of March 21 and 22, respectively.
WestJet Link service from Calgary to Lloydminster and Medicine Hat, Alta., will end around the same time.
“We have continued to operate in the face of uncertainty as domestic and international travel restrictions and quarantines have caused demand to plummet,” said WestJet president and CEO, Ed Sims, in a statement. “Unfortunately, with new and increasingly restrictive policies, we are left once again with no other option than to suspend service to these communities.”
Affected passengers will be contacted directly.
The halt in operations is expected to last until late June.
“Our ability to return to markets remains directly correlated to government policies and the prioritization of a domestic travel program,” said Sims. “As we look ahead to contributing to the economic recovery of Canada, the relationship between testing and quarantine must evolve based on data and science.”
WestJest cancelled flights to Moncton and Fredericton, N.B., Sydney, N.S., Charlottetown and Quebec City last November.
The Canadian airline’s overall passenger volumes are down 90 per cent year-over-year.
