Flight Arrival Redirections

Classification: Unclassified

Branch/Agency: Transport Canada

Proposed Response:

• The Government has limited the arrival of international flights to four airports – Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Calgary International Airport.
• This measure came into effect on March 18, 2020 and will remain in place as long as necessary to support Canada’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
• The vast majority of international flights were already arriving at these four airports, it is expected that most passengers will not need to adjust their travel plans.

If pressed:

• Following analysis of passenger volumes and routes, a focus on overseas destinations first was considered appropriate. There are a number of sun destinations where the spread of the virus appears limited and we believe Canadian airports who currently receive passengers from these countries are equipped to continue to do so.
• While the Government is not preventing flights from any country of origin, it makes sense to concentrate efforts to a limited number of airports, focusing efforts at those already serving the majority of overseas flights

Date modified:

2020-09-04