Canada airlines agree to cancel all flights to warm destinations

As part of the fight against a second coronavirus wave, Canada's major airlines have agreed to suspend all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean from Sunday until 30 April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.

Trudeau also told reporters that it would be necessary for all arriving airline passengers to take a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport and then wait at their own expense in a hotel until the results arrive.

The new coronavirus travel restrictions imposed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday are “a death blow” to the aviation sector, the national president of the country’s largest private union said.

“Everybody understands that governments need to do everything they can to keep Canadians safe, but we also have to make sure that we have industries to come back to when the pandemic is over,” Jerry Dias, Unifor national president, said on Sunday’s episode of The West Block with Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson.

“We can’t talk about ‘build back better’ and not have a strong aviation sector and that’s what’s at peril right now.”

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Trudeau said international passengers looking to fly back to Canada will only have the option of four airports in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal, adding that they’ll be forced to quarantine for up to three days at a designated hotel that could cost “more than $2,000” while they await results from new mandatory COVID-19 tests.

“With the challenges we currently face with COVID-19, both here at home and abroad, we all agree that now is just not the time to be flying,” Trudeau said.

“By putting in place these tough measures now, we can look forward to a better time, when we can all plan those vacations.”