Sunwing Travel Group says they had to cancel flights out of North Bay due to international travel not currently permitted out of regional airports like Jack Garland Airport in North Bay.
Back in the summer, Sunwing announced it was returning to North Bay for January of 2022. for flights from North Bay to Cancun.
“Since North Bay Jack Garland Airport has not yet reopened for international travel, we, unfortunately, had to cancel flights from the airport to sun destinations for the winter season," said Melanie Anne Filip, Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations, Sunwing Travel Group.
See related: Sunwing cancelling flights from North Bay to Mexico
Filip says they are trying to work towards a later return in 2022.
"We continue to advocate for the reopening of international travel from various regional airports in the province and encourage the government to re-evaluate its decision," she said.
Officials feel their vacation airline is a vital link for Canada’s regional communities to the world and we are proud of our ability to connect Canada’s regional airports to international destinations, including our airport operations in North Bay.
"We hope to resume flying from the airport in the future and look forward to when we can bring more customers from North Bay and surrounding regions back to the tropics from their gateway of choice," said Filip.
Jack Santerre, Airport Manager at Jack Garland Airport says Sunwing was accurate with their explanation.
"Sunwing has summed it up very well and had no choice but to cancel the 2021/22 season as Transport Canada has yet to allow flights to flow normally to and from Canada to international and trans-border destinations, therefore, affecting markets like North Bay and others in northern and southern Ontario," said Santerre in an email to BayToday.
"There are currently only 18 airports across Canada that can receive these flights."
