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Air Canada announced they are resuming 17 key routes to international destinations around the world from its hubs in Canada.
The move comes as more Canadians are likely to want to start traveling again due to restrictions easing around the world, an increase in vaccination rollouts, and the Canadian government taking its first step in reducing restrictions earlier this week by removing the 14-day mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated Canadian travelers.
Air Canada Resuming International Routes
Now that Canada is starting to make things easier for vaccinated travelers, Air Canada has released an international schedule for Summer 2021 which includes the resumption of 17 routes to 11 destinations, mainly in Europe.
“As travel restrictions ease across the globe, we are committed to rebuild our international network and continue as a global carrier to connect Canada to the world, while also developing additional markets and targeting new opportunities. Canadians are eager to travel again, and we are ready to reunite customers with their families and friends.
With vaccination rates globally increasing and our industry-leading CleanCare+ bio-safety protocols, Air Canada has your health and safety as its top priority,” said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada.
One of the key routes resuming is the airline’s service between Calgary and Frankfurt which will run 4x weekly as of August 1.
“We are pleased to restart our non-stop service between Calgary and Frankfurt, a key European market for our customers in Western Canada. This route will operate all year long, connecting Calgary to the world via the global hub of our trans-Atlantic joint venture partner, Lufthansa, in Frankfurt. We are also considering additional routes as restrictions continue to loosen,” Mr. Galardo added.
In addition to that, Air Canada is resuming several routes from Montreal and Toronto to various popular European cities, including Vienna, Dublin, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, Athens, Rome, and Lisbon.
Last week, The EU eased restrictions for travelers from 11 countries including Canada, which means Canadians should now gradually see travel restrictions imposed by EU member states begin to ease over the coming few days. Most of the Air Canada flights are set to resume on August 1st.
On top of these upcoming service resumptions, Air Canada has already resumed flights to Greece, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and Morocco, and will increase frequencies in some of these destinations as of August.
However, the Delta variant is causing new restrictions in Europe, so travelers should keep that in mind if planning a trip.
Outside of Europe, Air Canada is resuming routes to Dubai and Casablanca, which are both open to Canadians.
Air Canada is also resuming the Montreal-Tel Aviv twice a week. While Israel was set to open July 1st, it has now been delayed to a growing rise in cases of the Delta variant.
New Service to Egypt Added
In the press release, Air Canada announced they are offering for the first time a unique non-stop service from Montreal to Cairo, Egypt which will run three times weekly.
Travelers from Canada are allowed to visit Egypt. Here is the latest Covid-19 information.
Will Canadians Travel Abroad This Summer?
With these new routes, it would seem Air Canada is betting on Canadians wanting to travel abroad again soon. However, a new survey shows that many Canadians are still reluctant to travel.
About 3/4 said they will stay put over the next three months and those who do travel are more likely to end up in Calgary or Halifax than Paris or London.
The survey found that only 13% of Canadians have planned domestic travel over the next three months and only 7% plan to take an international trip.
As vaccination rates continue to go up over the next few months and more Canadians become fully vaccinated, it's likely the fall and winter travel season will be much busier than this summer.
READ MORE:
Travel Insurance That Covers Covid-19 For 2021
England Will Begin To Ease Most Restrictions July 19
Germany Eases Travel Restrictions For More Countries Including UK
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Hani
Thursday 8th of July 2021
Neither insurance company offers travel insurance (covid included) for Canadians over a certain age. There are more 70+ seniors (fully vaccinated) who travel regularly then you can imagine. Especially to the USA. Why not get more insurance companies to sign up who would meet this need?
Jay
Thursday 8th of July 2021
Unreal how much “fear” towards international travel has been engrained into most Canadians oppose to other nations around the world.