Porter Airlines extends temporary suspension of flights to end of June

Porter Airlines is extending its temporary suspension of all flights due to COVID-19 by four weeks until June 29, airline officials said on Monday.

The airline stopped flying on March 21, as travel restrictions and public health measures were increasing in North America due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The change resulted in temporary layoffs for all of the company's crew members based in Thunder Bay, Ont.

"Our initial restart date of June 1, was something we believed was reasonable at the time," said Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. "While there are many promising signs about how COVID-19 is being contained, it is also clear that border restrictions, government-imposed stay-at-home orders and bans on non-essential travel will remain in place for many regions through much of May and into June."

Deluce said the airline will continue to align its approach with the public health response.

"We are eager to restart operations, so that team members can be recalled to work and we can help facilitate an economic recovery," said Deluce. "This will be done in a responsible manner, taking into account health and safety precautions."

Additional measures will be introduced by Porter Airlines prior to restarting flights in compliance with evolving regulationsto ensure that staff and passengers are protected, said Porter Airlines officials.

Porter is waiving change and cancellation fees on all fares booked for travelbeforeJune 29.