Air Canada’s (TSX:AC) Chief Executive Officer is literally begging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to let the airline start flying again.
Calin Rovinescu is urging the Canadian government to relax travel restrictions as they have been hurting the company’s sales. Rovinescu called the government’s curbs on travelers “disproportionate” as the COVID-19 pandemic was easing in many parts of the country.
“Enable us to do some reasonable amounts of business,” he said while speaking on a webcast with publishing and event production company Aviation Week.
Rovinescu’s remarks echoed a letter he sent to Trudeau from the Canadian travel and tourism industry, calling for a national plan to ease pandemic travel restrictions. The letter was published in The Globe and Mail.
Canada and the United States are set to extend a ban on non-essential travel to late July as both countries seek to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Washington and Ottawa introduced month-long restrictions in March and renewed them in April and May. The ban, due to expire on June 21, does not affect trade.
Airlines such as Air Canada, have been among the worst hit as coronavirus-led travel bans resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, forcing carriers to cut jobs and costs as revenue disappeared.