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International flights and new vaccination rules start Tuesday for the Regina and Saskatoon airports.
After losing their official “international” designation from Transport Canada in March, people will now be able to travel to destinations outside of Canada without making a stop in between at places like Calgary, Vancouver or Toronto.
Regina Airport Authority CEO James Bogusz spoke on the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Tuesday and said getting to this point took a lot of work.
“This is a big day, honestly, for all of Saskatchewan,” Bogusz said.
“We have been working at getting the ability to handle international flights for months and we are so glad that the government listened. Today is officially the day that we can start handling sun destinations and start really working toward restoring our international status once again.”
The first non-stop international flights out of the province will be heading to Mexico with a flight from Saskatoon on Dec. 9, and one from Regina on Dec. 10. Both airports said more flights would be coming online in the New Year.
People looking to take a flight on Tuesday will notice some changes.
Anyone 12 years of age and older will need to be fully vaccinated in order to catch a flight domestically and internationally.
In addition to the vaccination requirement, all existing mandatory pre-boarding and health requirements for passengers remain in place, including health check questions and wearing masks inside airports and while onboard a plane.
There are some exemptions for when people don’t have to be vaccinated, including when they aren’t able to be vaccinated for medical reasons, or when passengers from small or remote communities need to get essential services.
A negative COVID test will not be accepted as an alternative to not getting vaccinated.
Those making short trips will no longer have to provide a negative PCR test to get back into Canada.
As of Tuesday, fully vaccinated Canadians returning from trips outside the country of less than 72 hours duration will not need to provide molecular test results. If they stay abroad longer, they’ll need to provide a negative test.
International flights an economic boost
Skyxe said international flights accounted for approximately $4.38 million in revenue to the airport (13 per cent of total revenue in 2019).
Based on a 2021 study conducted by Praxis Consulting, international air service at the Saskatoon airport translated into nearly $109 million in economic spinoff for the provincial economy.
