WestJet cuts 20 per cent of flights in March, calls for reopening timeline | Globalnews.ca

WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it has cancelled 20 per cent of its flights in March, extending schedule cuts from February amid ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and uncertainty that continue to drain demand.

Interim CEO Harry Taylor says travel advisories and testing requirements were meant to be temporary, but that after two years the industry crisis has come to a head.

WestJet is calling for periodic testing upon arrival only, rather than mandatory molecular testing before takeoff and after landing for fully vaccinated international passengers.

The Calgary-based company is also demanding an end to quarantines for travellers awaiting results when they return from abroad.

Taylor notes that Canada remains the only G7 country to require pre-departure and on-arrival molecular testing, and says the federal government must outline a road map for travel and tourism recovery.

Since early November, Air Canada and WestJet have cancelled 43 per cent of their scheduled trips for March, according to flight data firm Cirium.