Porter Airlines extends suspension of flights to February 2021

Porter Airlines flights will remain grounded until some point in 2021.

On Monday, the airline announced its latest delay in restarting operations, pushing back its target date to resume flights to Feb. 11, 2021.

The company suspended its flights in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Deferring service until 2021 is not a decision we anticipated having to make as COVID-19 emerged early this year," said Michael Deluce, the airline's president and chief executive officer.

"Unfortunately, the continued and cumulative effects of restrictive travel advisories, border closures and quarantines have suffocated travel demand to the point that a return to sustainable levels of passenger traffic is highly unlikely in 2020."

The three-month delay is the longest announced by the company, having previously issued a series of one-month extensions, and pushes it beyond what is typically the year's busiest holiday travel period in December.

A statement from Porter Airlines said planning to wait to restart until after the typically slow post-holiday period in January provides a reasonable opportunity to begin flying again if conditions improve.

The company said it also gives more time for the development of rapid testing, which could lead to travel restrictions being lifted.