Air Canada is suspending service indefinitely on 30 domestic routes and closing eight of its stations at regional airports as it reports "diminishing prospects for a near-to-mid-term recovery."
The route suspensions include 14 routes from the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador, 12 from Quebec and Ontario and four from Western Canada. Air Canada is closing its stations at airports in Bathurst, New Brunswick; Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador; Gaspé, Baie-Comeau, Mont-Joli and Val d'Or in Quebec; and Kingston and North Bay in Ontario.
The carrier said the suspensions and closures are due to "continuing weak demand for business and leisure travel due to Covid-19 and provincial and federal government-imposed travel restrictions and border closures."
Air Canada said it would consider additional service suspensions in the coming weeks as it restructures to reduce its cash burn rate. The carrier already has cut its workforce by more than 50 percent, about 20,000 employees, through layoffs, severances and leave programs and has removed 79 aircraft from its fleet.