CALGARY — With travel demand remaining low due to COVID-19, WestJet will temporarily suspend service to St. John’s, N.L., London, Ont., and Lloydminster and Medicine Hat, Alta.
The suspension is scheduled to last from March 19 to June 24.
“We have continued to operate in the face of uncertainty as domestic and international travel restrictions and quarantines have caused demand to plummet,” WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims said 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.”
As a result, flights between St. John’s and Halifax, which operates three times a week, will be suspended as of March 21, while service between London, Ont., and Toronto, currently operating four times a week, will cease on March 22.
WestJet Link service from Calgary to Lloydminster, which runs twice a week, will end on March 19, and Calgary to Medicine Hat, which operates once a week, will be discontinued as of March 21.
“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.”
The company says because of the suspensions, it will work with “newly established third-party service providers in St. John’s and London, Ont., and directly with Pacific Coastal Airlines for affected WestJet Link operations in Lloydminster and Medicine Hat.”
