Air Canada ripped Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 travel restrictions in a statement Monday after the Canadian government announced it would finally lift mandates and quarantine rules beginning in October.
Several airlines welcomed the news that travelers will no longer have to be vaccinated to fly or wear masks on planes, and that incoming travelers will no longer have to submit health information through the ArriveCAN app, beginning Oct. 1. Air Canada took things one step further, issuing a statement blasting the government for having restrictions in the first place.
Air Canada welcomes Government of Canada decision to lift mask, testing and ArriveCan requirement.
More: https://t.co/vIsBSacuc7 pic.twitter.com/3cRa3FHMJX
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) September 26, 2022
“Air Canada welcomes the removal of these restrictions, acknowledging that air travel is safe and that the measures were not justified by science,” the company said. “We believe it will greatly facilitate travel, help to continue stabilizing the country’s air transport sector and support Canada’s economy.”
Canada kept its travel restrictions, which applied to both air and rail travel, longer than many other countries, including the United States. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, however, said the government reserves the right to bring those restrictions back if needed.
“Obviously we have no hope to reintroduce some of these measures but if we need to protect the safety of Canadians, we will have to.” (RELATED: Senate Votes To Repeal CDC Mask Mandate For Public Transportation)
Some scientific research backs Air Canada’s argument that such restrictions were never particularly helpful in the first place. Due to the high-quality air filters on modern aircraft, the air on a typical flight is safer than that inside many regular buildings. Health authorities have never found evidence that an airplane is an excessively dangerous place to be with regard to catching COVID-19, despite having many people enclosed in a small area.