Air Canada reducing number of flights between North Bay and Toronto
Air Canada is changing the way flights will be arriving and departing out of North Bay’s Jack Garland Airport.
In a statement to CTV News, the airline confirmed it will temporarily reduce its North Bay-Toronto service to one flight daily, except on Wednesdays, where there will be no flights.
“As we have since the start of the pandemic, Air Canada continues to evaluate and adjust its route network as required in response to the trajectory of the pandemic, government-imposed travel restrictions and quarantines, regulatory requirements, and the impact of these factors on overall demand,” the airline said in an email.
In March 2020, Air Canada put a temporary halt to service between North Bay and Toronto and then indefinitely suspended it a few months later. Air Canada then flipped the script last June and returned to run two flights a day.
“It’s not Air Canada’s fault, not North Bay’s fault, not the fault of the passengers of North Bay because there’s still people that want to travel,” said Jack Garland Airport Manager Jack Santerre.
“The airport is still moving along and moving passengers. It’s the continued lockdowns.”
Santerre said government-imposed lockdowns continue to create a "slowdown of passenger travel.”
“This is not unique to North Bay,” said Santerre. “It’s similar across northern Ontario and across the country.”
Before the New Year, the airport was seeing an uptick in passengers arriving and departing and the airport was anticipating airlines to boost services up to three flights a day.
“I believe this will be a short delay in the road back to recovery,” Santerre said. “After the first quarter of 2022, we’re hoping just like everybody else that the pandemic settles down.”
Santerre is calling on government officials to be more supportive of the aviation industry so it can bounce back to what it was before the pandemic began.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city, marking the first franchise in Canada
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.