Cleared for takeoff! International flights resume at Ottawa International Airport

OTTAWA -

International flights resumed at the Ottawa International Airport on Sunday for the first time since the spring of 2020.

"We were pretty pumped to welcome our first cross-border flight in 19 months today," said the Ottawa Airport in a message on Twitter.

Flair Airlines flight 8334 departed Ottawa for Fort Lauderdale, Fla. at 7 a.m., the first international flight out of the Ottawa International Airport since the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a halt at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Flair Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale landed at the Ottawa Airport at 2:30 p.m.  

The Ottawa Airport said there were "many happy reunions" on Flair Airlines first flight from Fort Lauderdale to Ottawa.

"Including these grandparents who were greeted by their daughter and grandson," said YOW on Twitter.

Meantime, a United Airlines flight landed in Ottawa from Washington Dulles just before 7 p.m. Sunday.

Sunday's flights are the first in a series of international flights set to resume at the Ottawa Airport this week.

On Monday, Flair Airlines will operate a flight to Orlando, while United Airlines will resume flights departing Ottawa for Washington Dulles.

WestJet will resume service to Cancun on Nov. 13, while Sunwing will add non-stop flights out of Ottawa to warm destinations by mid-November.

The resumption of international flights comes after the federal government quietly lifted its advisory against all non-essential travel abroad last Thursday.

Flair Airlines announced this summer it would operate flights out of Ottawa to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Las Vegas between Oct. 31 and March 26.

Air Canada and Air Transat will be adding flights out of Ottawa to the U.S. and Caribbean in late November and December.

AIR CANADA TO TORONTO ISLAND AIRPORT

Air Canada launched daily service between the Ottawa International Airport and Toronto Island on Sunday.

The airline will operate four return trips daily between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Ottawa.

Flights will depart Ottawa daily at 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 4:25 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Flights from Toronto to Ottawa will depart at 7 a.m., 8:35 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS

Travallers must now prove they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to board all flights at airports in Ottawa and across Canada.

As of 3 a.m. Oct. 30, anyone 12 years of age and older will need to show proof of vaccination to fly.

The federal government is providing a "short transition period" with unvaccinated travellers able to travel if they show a valid COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of travel. The government says rapid tests – known as antigen tests – will not be accepted by airlines and VIA Rail.

As of Nov. 30, only fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed on planes, trains and boats in Canada.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Michael Woods