Air Transat has announced plans to resume flights from July 23.
The Canadian carrier will offer 22 destinations across Europe, the US and Canada, including services to three UK airports.
There will be three weekly flights from Toronto to Gatwick, two services per week to Manchester, and two to Glasgow.
Within mainland Europe Air Transat will gradually add flights from Toronto to Athens, Porto and Rome, and from Montreal to Athens, Bordeaux, Lisbon, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Paris and Toulouse.
It will also serve Cayo Coco (Cuba), Cancun, Fort Lauderdale and Punta Cana from both Montreal and Toronto, as well as Port-au-Prince from Montreal.
Domestic flights will operate between Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, “to open the door to even more destinations via connecting flights and to allow Canadians to explore more of their country”.
The above plan covers services for the remainder of the summer seasons until October 31, although Air Transit says that it “may enhance its flight schedule for the months of September and October” depending on demand and the easing of regulatory restrictions.
But certain routes have been suspended for the summer 2020 season, including all direct European flights from Vancouver and Quebec City, and services to Amsterdam, Basel-Mulhouse, Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Faro, Lamezia, Madrid, Malaga, Nice, Prague, Venice and Zagreb.
The carrier said that customers affected by the cancellations will receive travel credit which can be used for up to 24 months after their original return dates.
A current flexible ‘Book with peace of mind’ booking policy means all customers purchasing tickets after March 4 can make changes to flights up to 24 hours before departure, or choose to cancel and receive travel credit for 12 months.
Air Transat has also introduced a new Traveller Care programme, with measures including passengers receiving a care kit containing face covering, gloves, hand sanitiser and disinfecting wipes.
Travellers will be required to wear face masks throughout flights, and the inflight service “will be revised to reduce handling and contact”.
Commenting on the news Annick Guérard, chief operating officer of Transat, said:
“After these long months that put the entire tourism industry to the test, we are very happy to announce today the resumption of our operations. We will gradually operate a flight schedule with 23 international routes to Europe, the South and the United States, in addition to a domestic flight schedule between major Canadian cities.
“To address the concerns caused by Covid-19 and to prioritise the safety of our customers and employees, we will be implementing new health measures as part of our Traveller Care programme.
“In compliance with the recommendations and requirements of regulatory authorities, these measures will accompany our travellers throughout their travel experience, from the travel agency to the airport to on board to the destination. We look forward to welcoming travellers again and to share the passion that unites us.”
