Jeff Morrison, President and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), which represents Canada’s largest air carriers (Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation LP and WestJet), issued the following statement regarding the coming into force of the Government of Canada’s new updated testing requirements for air travellers arriving from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao:

“In keeping with our position throughout the pandemic we continue to stress the importance of measures that are rooted in science and data-based decision-making.

“Research has found that Canada’s pre-departure testing pandemic policies were largely ineffective in identifying COVID-19 cases and preventing the spread of the virus and should no longer be imposed.

“As has been the case since the outset of the pandemic, Canada’s airlines will continue to work with the Government of Canada to keep air travel safe for travellers, workers and for Canadian families.”

More information on the results of research on the effectiveness of Canada’s Pandemic Border and Travel Policies can be found in a recent report published by the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, located here.