TORONTO — Porter Airlines will temporarily suspend all flights at the close of operations on Friday, March 20.
The company made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying that it plans to resume service on June 1.
"The decision is being made in support of ongoing public health efforts to contain COVID-19," Porter said in a statement.
President and CEO Michael Deluce said "COVID-19 is having an unprecedented effect on people around the world...Restricting activities by people in all communities is what's required to keep our team members and passengers healthy, and ultimately to end this fast-spreading pandemic."
The company said remaining flights through March 20 will allow its customers to complete existing trips and return home, or make last-minute reservations to reach a destination.
The existing waiver of change and cancellation fees means customers will not be penalized for modifying an existing itinerary.
Porter said it's currently taking reservations for flights starting in June, but all flights booked in that month will also be fully changeable and refundable.
"It is regrettable that this situation requires us to issue temporary layoffs across the business," Deluce said.
Over the last two years, Porter has opened both a crew base and an aircraft maintenance base in Thunder Bay.
Deluce said he and executive chairman Robert Deluce will not receive any salary during the shutdown, and all other management who remain during the suspension of service will have their salaries reduced by up to 30 per cent for the duration.
