Porter Airlines Pushes Back Restart Date
by Jessica Montevago /Porter Airlines is delaying its restart. Photo: dennizn/Shutterstock.com.
After suspending operations nearly a year ago due to the impact of COVID-19, Toronto’s Porter Airlines has pushed back its tentative return to May 19.
The regional carrier had previously planned to resume flights later this month, but the “implementation of more restrictive travel rules by governments since our last update makes an early spring restart unviable,” said Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines.
“While there are signs of progress in containing the pandemic, it is necessary to reset our sights based on changing conditions. We remain optimistic that things are moving in the right direction, but it is possible that this tentative date may also need to be modified if vaccinations don’t accelerate to enable the easing of travel restrictions.”
Porter served 16 domestic destinations from Toronto, in addition to 5 cities in the U.S., before the pandemic.
Porter Airlines, which partners with major carriers including JetBlue and Qatar Airways and operates out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, grounded flights in March 2020 as business travel, its primary market, halted due to restrictive travel advisories, border closures, and quarantines.
Updates will be provided in the coming weeks about the status of flights.
