Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Timmins are back on Porter Airlines' radar.
The Toronto-based air carrier announced Oct. 6 that it is returning to all 18 of its year-round destinations today with the addition of the three northeastern Ontario cities, plus Fredericton and Saint John, N.B.
The airline resumed flights to Thunder Bay on Sept. 8, beginning with a three-flight-a-week approach to the northwestern Ontario air hub, after an 18-month suspension of flights due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. The company said it would be taking a phased approach in restoring service.
In a statement, Porter president-CEO Michael Deluce called today's return to service a "significant milestone in our recovery."
"We're looking forward to seeing more of our passengers in these destinations. Over 1,000 Porter team members are now at work supporting these efforts, as we focus on recalling our complete workforce and adding more flights in the coming months."
Over the summer, Porter was the first Canadian airline to mandate that all employees get vaccinated or show proof of a clean COVID-19 test 72 hours before the start of a shift.
Today, the federal government announced a new COVID-19 vaccine requirement for air and train travel in Canada.
By the end of November, anyone aged 12 years or older will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to board a plane or a train in Canada, and that will include staff.
Trudeau said at that point, testing will not be an option to bypass the vaccine requirement.