Air Transat ramping down flights amid talks of cancellations

Air Transat scaling back flights With the pandemic impacting airlines around the world, Air Transat is scaling back flights.

MONTREAL — Montreal-based vacation airline Air Transat already has begun the process of ramping down flights to international destinations, CTV News has learned.

Transat spokesperson Christophe Hennebelle said restrictions such as required COVID-19 screenings continue to have a negative impact on bookings.

The airline recently announced to a group of travel agents that its last international flight from Pearson Airport in Toronto already had departed earlier in the week, and that it would now concentrate on getting Canadian passengers back.

“This is a major step taken by one of the countries’ largest vacation suppliers,” said Christine Latremoille, who manages the Dorval branch of the Uniglobe travel agency. “With vacation bookings already at a historic low, this action will result in agencies reaching out to their clients already at destination to assist in the planning of bringing them home.”

Other airports may be in similar situations regarding Air Transat in the coming days.The Montreal International Airport will continue to operate to six destinations: Cancun, Holguin, Port-au-Prince, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Paris, according to an email sent from the company.

Hennebelle said flights to repatriate travelers from abroad would continue and a refund would be offered to customers who purchased tickets for a cancelled flight.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned that stricter travel measures — such as possibly grounding non-essential international flights — could be in the offing in the coming days. “Nothing is off the table,” he said from Ottawa. “We will not hesitate to take even tougher measures, if and when they’re needed,” adding he was planning to make an announcement in the coming days.

- With files from The Canadian Press