WestJet Airlines has cut 20 per cent of its scheduled flights in March, marking the second month in a row that the airline has cut capacity as it grapples with “ongoing uncertainty and barriers facing travel.”
The Calgary-based airline says the network reductions were “avoidable” and highlight the need for a reopening timeline from the government and removal of travel restrictions that are “causing unnecessary damage to Canada’s economic recovery.”
“Travel advisories, restrictions and testing requirements were meant to be temporary, yet our industry has now reached an impasse that is severely impacting the recovery of our airline and sector,” WestJet interim president and chief executive Harry Taylor said in a statement released Monday.
“The time is now to present a path forward that is in line with our global counterparts, reflective of current data and once again makes travel accessible and affordable for Canadians.”
WestJet had already cut 20 per cent of its scheduled February flights, citing a shortage of staff and “the prolonged impact of government barriers.”
On Monday, the airline called for a return to random COVID-19 testing upon arrival for surveillance purposes, instead of the current system which requires that passengers coming from anywhere outside the U.S. be tested upon arrival and then quarantine until they receive a negative test result. WestJet also wants quarantine and isolation requirements to be eliminated.
Taylor noted that Canada is the only G7 nation that still requires mandatory pre-departure and on-arrival PCR testing, and urged the government to outline a roadmap to recovery for the travel sector that is “reflective of the current realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Countries across the globe are recognizing the importance of travel and tourism on economic recovery and we are witnessing them take measures to safely reopen their borders and make sensible adjustments to overall travel guidance and testing requirements,” Taylor said.
“It is disappointing that Canada remains stagnant in its approach and continues to make travel inaccessible and punitive for Canadians and inbound tourists.”
WestJet and Air Canada cancelled more than 4,200 flights in the month of January, according to data provided by Cirium, an aviation data company. Air Canada cancelled 2,755 flights in the month of January, representing 12 per cent of its total scheduled flights while WestJet axed 1,467 flights over the same period, representing 13 per cent of its scheduled flights. In January of 2020, when each airline was operating nearly double the flights overall, Air Canada cancelled six per cent of its scheduled flights (2,651 in total) while WestJet scrapped three per cent (534 total) of its scheduled flights.
In December, the federal government issued an advisory urging Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel outside the country, regardless of vaccination status. That advisory remains in place.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 290 airlines including Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat, has urged governments to accelerate the relaxation of travel restrictions “as COVID-19 continues to evolve from the pandemic to endemic stage.”
IATA says governments should remove all travel barriers – including mandatory quarantine and testing rules – for fully vaccinated travellers, as well as allow unvaccinated travellers to bypass quarantine if they provide a negative pre-departure antigen test result.
Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.
Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
