Ottawa, May 26, 2021 – Mike McNaney, President and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, which represents Canada’s largest carriers (Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation and WestJet), issued the following statement in response to today’s release by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney of the province’s re-start plan entitled “Open For Summer”.

“Canada’s major airlines congratulate the Alberta government on today’s release of the province’s restart strategy entitled “Open for Summer”.  The plan provides criteria for the phased re-opening of the economy including welcoming domestic and international visitors.  We want to thank the Premier for providing clarity to consumers and industry. Today’s announcement follows the release yesterday of British Columbia’s restart plan, which also establishes timeframes and metrics for the restart of regional and national travel.

We continue to call on the federal government to work with the aviation sector to provide similar clarity concerning the restart of international travel, and how we will address on-going travel restrictions within Canada to achieve domestic consistency.”

About the National Airlines Council of Canada:

The National Airlines Council of Canada represents Canada’s largest national and international passenger air carriers: Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation LP and WestJet. It promotes safe, sustainable and competitive air travel by advocating for the development of policies, regulations and legislation to foster a world-class transportation system. Collectively, its member airlines carry over 80 million passengers annually, directly employ over 60,000 people and are a critical component of Canada’s overall air transport and tourism sector which supports more than 630,000 jobs.

For media requests, please contact Francesca Iacurto, Senior Director, Public Affairs, National Airlines Council of Canada; Fiacurto@airlinecouncil.ca, Telephone: 613.231.7223 ext. 104