Porter Airlines extends suspension of all flights

Porter Airlines has announced it has extended its temporary suspension of flights.

The airline previously suspended all flights on March 21, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic.

With a second wave well underway, and many provinces, including Ontario, reaching record numbers of new COVID-19 cases nearly daily, the airline has made the decision to extend the suspension through March 29, 2021.

“With the introduction of vaccines, we are more optimistic about determining a date in the near-term to reintroduce flights than at any point since the pandemic began,” Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, said in a news release.

“More time is needed to assess the vaccine’s influence on current travel restrictions and when it is appropriate to begin operations again. We expect to establish a timeline for this to happen in the first part of 2021,” he continued.

Porter’s decision comes shortly after several high-ranking government officials, both at the provincial and federal levels, were found to have travelled for non-essential reasons over the winter holidays, leading many to question why flights—international flights in particular—were even still permitted.

@fordnation When will we be stopping the arrivals of international flights into Pearson?! How can we have a lockdown and State of Emergency while still allowing international flights? #StateofEmergency #Ontario #ontariolockdown

— Paul Brunet (@paultwo) January 12, 2021

Lmfao these people locking down the people of Ontario but allowing international flights in. Show me how this makes any bit of sense.

— Kyle Lowry Stan Account. (@Oldsoultee) January 13, 2021

The airline announced it will provide another update during the winter, which will depend on the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, and the government measures put in place to combat it.