Canada’s pre-travel testing causes thousands of booking cancellations
Airlines in Canada have been impacted by at least 50,000 flight booking cancellations since the government brought in mandatory pre-departure Covid-19 testing for inbound flights.
The transport ministry announced the data and acknowledged the policy is to discourage travel to and from Canada..
"As part of the broader effort to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the Government of Canada has consistently advised Canadians to avoid non-essential international travel," said Amy Butcher, Communications Director of the Transport Ministry.
"On 31 December, the government announced new pre-test requirements for passengers seeking to fly to Canada. Not surprisingly, this has led to a decline in future bookings."
The new policy took effect two weeks ago.
The rule requires proof of a negative Covid-19 test result taken no more than 72 hours before the departure of the Canada-bound flight.
After days of initial confusion about testing overseas for returning Canadians, the federal government rolled out a website that lists authorized testing facilities in some countries.
Written by Ray Montgomery
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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