February 15, 2022
Ottawa (ON) Today’s federal announcement easing travel restrictions is a positive step forward in normalizing travel for Canadians and restoring our tourism economy, according to RJ Steenstra, CEO & President of Fort McMurray International Airport and Policy Council Chair of the Canadian Airports Council.
“Canada’s airports are encouraged by the government’s removal of restrictions” he said. “From the earliest days of the pandemic, airports have worked with the government to ensure the safety of travellers and aviation workers. The changes announced today will help the Canadian aviation sector and airports start to rebuild connectivity and choice for Canadians.”
The measures that are being removed represent some of the most onerous barriers to air travel currently in the world. By March 1st, Canada will see a return to random testing for fully vaccinated travellers upon arrival without isolation, the elimination of quarantine requirements for children under twelve traveling with vaccinated parents, the reopening of all airports to international travel, and the removal of the blanket travel advisories.
“These are positive steps and we commend the government for these actions,” said CAC Interim President Monette Pasher, “We look forward with enthusiasm to the next step and a specific timeline which would be to remove all pre-departure tests for travel. Countries like Denmark, the UK, Switzerland and more recently France, have removed testing obligations for fully vaccinated passengers and reflecting that our entire workforce are fully vaccinated in this sector.”
Explaining why the elimination of all barriers to travel is essential, Ms. Pasher said, “Canada’s economy – and people – need a competitive and economically resilient aviation sector. Since the start of the pandemic, airports have suffered $6 billion in revenue losses and taken on $3 billion in new COVID-19 debt. We commend the government on the positive steps forward today and look forward to working with them to identify a clear timeline for the removal of all pre-departure testing for international travel ahead of the spring and summer 2022 season.”
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About the Canadian Airports Council
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC), a division of Airports Council International-North America, is the voice for Canada’s airports community. Its 57 members represent more than 100 airports, including all of the privately operated National Airports System (NAS) airports and many municipal airports.
Canada’s locally managed and not for profit airports are essential community assets. In 2019, they supported 194,000 direct jobs, contributed $19 billion to GDP and $48 billion in direct economic outputs. They also remitted $6.9 billion in taxes to municipal, provincial and federal governments.
For more information, contact
Debra Ward
613 850 9118
