Halifax Loses Flights Amid 1,900 New Air Canada Layoffs
HALIFAX — Air Canada will cut close to 2,000 jobs across the country as it trims another 25 percent of its planned flight capacity over the next three months.
In a January 13 news release, the company said about 1,700 of its Air Canada employees and more than 200 workers at its express carriers will soon be out of work because of the service reduction.
Halifax’s Stanfield International Airport will lose flights because of the service reduction.
According to airport spokesperson Leah Batstone, Air Canada flights between Halifax and Gander, and Halifax and Goose Bay will be indefinitely suspended as of Jan. 23.
Batstone says today’s announcement “further reduces the small number of destinations we’re connected to across Canada.” As of January 23, Halifax Stanfield will be left with flights to just four Canadian cities: St. John’s, Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary.
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Batstone says even those routes will operate under “significantly reduced capacity,” although the airport doesn’t have “exact details” yet about what that means.
“Last year was very difficult for our industry and our community, but so far in 2021, it appears things are going to get worse before they get better,” Batstone said. “It could take years to rebuild air access to our region and the continued loss of service will extend our recovery period well beyond when the demand for travel returns.”
“This is the fourth round of air service cuts in our region in 10 months,” ACAA executive director Monette Pasher said in a statement. “Government imposed travel restrictions federally and provincially are severely impacting the air sector right now. Government is telling us to stay home and stay put, but the reality is our sector needs financial support to get through this time to support the essential service airlines and airports provide.”
In a November 30 economic update, the federal government pledged $1.2-billion for regional airlines, airports, and airport infrastructure. However, the specifics of how that money will be distributed have not yet been released.
Meanwhile, Air Canada says travel restrictions are having significant, immediate impacts on its flights.
“Since the implementation of … increased travel restrictions and other measures, in addition to the existing quarantine requirements, we have seen an immediate impact to our close-in bookings,” says Lucie Guillemette, the executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air Canada
As the ACAA points out, today’s announcement comes on the heels of this week’s Air Canada service suspensions in Sydney and Saint John, WestJet’s October suspension of 80 percent of Atlantic Canada capacity, Air Canada’s June suspension of service in Bathurst and Wabush, and Air Canada’s suspension of 14 routes from the region indefinitely.
Air Canada said in its own news release the latest reduction will mean it’s operating about 20 percent of the flights over the next three months as it did last year over the same period.
The company said it will “continue to evalulate and adjust its route network as required in response to the trajectory of the pandemic, government-imposed travel restrictions and quarantines, and to market and regulatory conditions.”