Passengers at the Ottawa International Airport on Friday, Oct. 22. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)
International flights will resume at the Ottawa airport next weekend for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a halt.
Flair Airlines is resuming non-stop flights to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Oct. 31 and Orlando on Nov. 1. As well, United Airlines is resuming flights to Washington Dulles starting Nov. 1.
It’s the start of a gradual resumption in international flights to and from Ottawa. WestJet is resuming Cancun flights. WestJet is resuming service to Cancun on Nov. 13.
Sunwing also plans to add flights to warm destinations early next month. Those flights will initially stop in Montreal or Toronto, but will be non-stop service by mid-November.
Air Canada’s first flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is at the beginning of December, with more locations in the U.S. and Caribbean added as the holiday season approaches. Air Transat is adding flights to Caribbean destinations by the end of November.
The return of air travel beyond Canada is welcome news for the airport, which has taken a huge financial hit because of the reduction in air travel during the pandemic.
About 125,000 passengers passed through the Ottawa airport in September, about 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels for that month. It’s a big improvement from early in the pandemic, when passenger traffic was as low as 10 per cent of normal numbers.
About 660,000 passengers have used the airport so far this year. Airport officials hope an increase in air travel in the next few months will help them reach the one-million mark by the end of the year.
The airport authority’s CEO estimated early in the pandemic that it could need to borrow $100 million over the next three years to stay afloat.
For much of the pandemic, international flights were only allowed to land at four Canadian airports: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Those regulations were lifted Aug. 9.
On Thursday, the federal government quietly lifted its advisory against all non-essential travel abroad.
As Joe Biden makes his first trip to Canada as president of the United States, CTVNews.ca is offering live coverage of the leader's visit. Follow our live blog on CTVNews.ca and the CTV News app for the latest updates.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived on Parliament Hill saying that he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "have a lot to talk about," but that it's great to be in Canada.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Sky-gazers and shutterbugs across much of Canada were treated to a spectacular display of northern lights Thursday night and into Friday morning.
The United States' first lady was given a sweeping introduction to Canadian sports culture in Ottawa today as Sophie Gregoire Trudeau took Jill Biden to the curling rink.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
Canada's restaurant industry is bracing for the biggest jump in the country's alcohol excise duty in more than 40 years, spurring warnings the tax hike could force some bars and restaurants out of business.
A mix of snow and rain that began Thursday morning and afternoon in the Maritimes has led to some messy road conditions in the region.
Police say a woman is in hospital following a shooting in west Saint John, N.B., early Friday morning and three suspects have been arrested.
Housing advocates in Nova Scotia say the provincial budget neglects people struggling with affordability and those on the edge of experiencing homelessness.
An astrophotographer from southern Ontario captured Thursday night’s display of the Aurora Borealis and has offered some tips and tricks for catching a glimpse of them yourself tonight.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Toronto Coun. Josh Matlow broke council’s code of conduct by criticizing two public employees on Twitter before retaliating against one of them after she filed a complaint, the city’s integrity commissioner has found.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
For the first time, the owner of a building in Old Montreal has responded to questions about the fire — through his lawyer — addressing allegations that the building was unsafe.
CTV News has learned an Ontario Provincial Police sergeant with 22 years of service has been charged in Sudbury with criminal harassment.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
North Bay police say they are looking for two men last seen in the downtown area and are asking the public for help in finding them.
A London man was arrested early Friday morning after being spotted throwing a cinder block through the front door of a restaurant, according to police.
A serious crash at the corner of Highbury Avenue and Oxford Street has sent a man to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A St. Catherines man has been charged after a reported robbery in London. Around 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, police were called to the parking lot at Cherryhill Village Mallon Oxford Street after witnesses reported that a man with a knife was demanding items from another man.
Manitoba’s labour force is growing at a rate to supply enough workers for available positions into 2026, according to the province’s labour market outlook.
Manitobans were treated to a stunning display of the northern lights on Thursday night, as the sky was lit up with swirls of green.
Canada's restaurant industry is bracing for the biggest jump in the country's alcohol excise duty in more than 40 years, spurring warnings the tax hike could force some bars and restaurants out of business.
An uncommon phenomenon lit up the skies across southern Ontario on Thursday night, including in Waterloo region where the aurora borealis – also known as the northern lights - shone bright enough to see with the naked eye.
It might be a sign of change in the pandemic that has gripped the world for three years, as the regional COVID-19 cold and flu care clinic run by Grand River Hospital is closing its doors.
The process to find the new site for a proposed joint hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo is underway.
Calgary police have released photos of a man and vehicle believed to be involved in a case of road rage last month that left the victim with substantial injuries.
The Calgary Police Service confirms charges have been laid against a driver in connection with Thursday's crash of a semi-truck into the 32nd Avenue N.E. overpass along Deerfoot Trail.
The Calgary Fire Department pulled a man off the ice of the Bow River Friday morning but his chances of survival remain up in the air.
The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival has announced its 2023 ticketed lineup.
A 13-year-old girl with a budding career as a DJ is bringing the music industry to her home community of Mistawasis First Nation to inspire Indigenous youth.
Many residents across Saskatchewan had a prominent view of the Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights Thursday night and Friday morning and are sharing the pictures they captured with CTV News.
A tuition increase of 5.5 per cent for domestic students and international students who were admitted before the start of the 2020 academic year was approved by the University of Alberta Friday morning.
The City of Beaumont says one of its community peace officers was threatened while issuing a parking ticket.
Police have determined that an online threat made against École Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School is not credible.
A micro suite in Vancouver is being rented for $700 a month—a steep price considering the space is just 150 square feet.
The City of Vancouver has asked a group of volunteers keeping vigil over a temporary residential school memorial at the Vancouver Art Gallery to remove the tribute.
A Kamloops, B.C., woman's disappearance is now being treated as a homicide case, according to an update from police Thursday.
A husband and wife currently travelling from British Columbia to New Brunswick are hoping Regina police will be able to track down a box containing the ashes of a loved one after it was allegedly stolen from their vehicle.
Two cars that have become a curiosity in Regina's north end are slowly emerging from a massive pile of snow as the spring thaw starts in the Prairies.
RCMP said crews are currently on the scene of a serious motor vehicle collision about three kilometres east of Langenburg, Sask. on Highway 16.
