A number of Canadian flag carriers have been steadily resuming operations to multiple destinations since the country reopened to international visitors on Sept. 7.
Air Transat, a Canadian airline based in Montreal, Quebec, informed Sunday it had restarted two round-trip flights connecting Montreal to Lisbon and Toronto to Porto, after more than a year’s suspension due to Covid-19.
The airline also plans to resume direct flights from Toronto to Faro, Portugal from January 18.
A negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination is enough for Canadians to be permitted to enter Portugal.
The airline has also restarted a three-time weekly flight from Toronto to London Gatwick. Toronto to Manchester is scheduled to resume operations on October 19th, given the current steady customer demand.
“We currently see good trends in the bookings, even if they tend to come in closer to the departure date than they used to,” said Air Transat chief executive Annick Guerard. “People are still cautious, and they decide at the last minute,” she added.
Air Canada has announced it will resume operations to Australia starting in December.
This may be confusing considering Australia has not confirmed when it will reopen its borders for international travel.
However, both the government and its leading airline have shown signs that a possible reopen may occur on December 18th.
The Australian government will be soon trialing a “Vaccine Passport” while Qantas Airlines has already scheduled flights for December 18th. A plan authorities consider “reasonable,” according to its CEO Alan Joyce.
“As travel restrictions ease across the globe, we are committed to rebuild our international network and continue as a global carrier connecting the world with Canada,” said Vic Naughton, General Manager AU/NZ at Air Canada.
“With Australians eager to travel again to Canada, we are ready to reunite customers with their families and friends,” he added.
Experts suggest that returning to a freer level of air travel will be possible when countries get better consensus on Covid-19 testing and vaccination certificates required for international trips.