The border between Canada and the U.S. will be temporarily closed to non-essential traffic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday.
According to the prime minister, the decision was made mutually, and is a “collaborative” and “reciprocal” measure to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
But as of now, Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) said it’s not known what impact the border closure will have on Halifax Stanfield International Airport, but said details will be provided once they are available.
In the meantime, HIAA listed a number of airline operations that will be suspended until further notice:
- WestJet: U.S. and international flights have been suspended for 30 days starting March 22. Currently, this does not impact operations at Halifax Stanfield, as all WestJet flights to/from Halifax Stanfield this time of year are domestic only.
- Porter: All operations at Halifax Stanfield will be suspended from March 21 until May 31, with service expected to resume on June 1.
- Sunwing: All southbound flights from Halifax Stanfield have been suspended until April 9.
- AirTransat: Flights to/from Halifax Stanfield will be gradually suspended until April 30.
If anyone is affected by the suspension of transborder and international flights, HIAA said there are options for their guests to take.
“If you have an existing booking, for a flight within Canada that departs anytime — no action is required. We will contact you if your flight is affected,” HIAA said in a statement on their website.
Moreover, no action is required if an individual has booked for an international flight that departs prior to 11:59 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 22.
HIAA said that most flights can be changed or cancelled online with Manage Trips, and people returning from an international flight with the first segment departing after 11:59 p.m. local time on Sunday are being asked to do.
“If you are unable to change or cancel your flight online, we will contact you with flight options,” HIAA said.
If an individual has an international flight and have started their trip, but are planning to return to Canada on a flight that departs after 11:59 p.m. local time on Sunday, they are asked to check westjet.com for availability, and to also manage their flight via Manage Trips.
“If you are unable to secure a flight back to Canada on WestJet, please contact the Canadian Government via travel.gc.ca to register,” stated HIAA.
As of Wednesday, Canada has 569 known cases of the novel coronavirus, or about 1.5 per 100,000.