Just two weeks after VIA Rail announced the indefinite suspension of train travel in the Maritimes, long distance transportation in the region has taken another blow.
WestJet has announced it will be “indefinitely suspending operations to Moncton, Fredericton, Sydney and Charlottetown while significantly reducing service to Halifax and St. John’s” as of November 2nd.
Before the pandemic, WestJet had three daily flights out of the Moncton airport headed to Toronto. In June, several months into the pandemic, those flights were reduced to four per week. And as of November 2nd, they will be suspended altogether.
WestJet says, “a return to service date is unknown at this time,” and people with tickets will be contacted directly by the company.
WestJet CEO Ed Sims blames the suspensions on the lack of support for a “safe Canadian bubble” and the lack of prioritization of rapid-testing.
He says WestJet remains committed to the Atlantic region, and the company intends to “resume operations as soon as it becomes economically viable to do so.”
