Ottawa, ON May 12, 2021 The Canadian Airports Council, a division of Airports Council International-North America, and the voice of more than 100 airports in Canada, issued the following statement in regards to the importance of government and industry partnerships throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“From the start of the pandemic, Canada’s airports have worked to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, repatriate Canadians, and deliver medical equipment, professionals and vaccines to fight this disease.  Today, air travel nationally is reduced by 90 percent.  Only the most essential travel remains and must be protected to keep this essential flow of goods and people.

“While this is our situation today, industry together with governments need to follow public health advice and good scientific data.  We are proud of our record and the role that the aviation industry has played.  Airports and industry partners have demonstrated leadership to implement enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols and reduce passenger touchpoints. Dr. Tam continues to indicate that there is no evidence of transmission in air travel.  Further, airports worked with government leaders to implement strong health testing and screening measures for passengers, including pre-departure PCR tests, arrivals testing, and 14-day quarantines.  And, we remain at the ready to ensure Canada has a plan that’s founded in science to safely resume travel.

“We look forward to continuing to work side-by-side with government leaders on a risked-based plan for the safe resumption of travel, founded in good science when the time is right, and begin the process of economic recovery.”

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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 54 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, please contact:

Debra Ward

Canadian Airports Council

613 850 9118

debra.ward@cacairports.ca