Air Canada is lending a hand in the Middle East.
Air Canada announced that, in coordination with the Government of Canada, it will operate two special flights from Athens on 13OCT and 14OCT to bring Canadians and permanent residents home from Israel. The Canadian government will run military flights from Tel Aviv to transport people to Athens, where they will then connect with Air Canada's special flights back to Toronto.
"Although safety considerations are unfortunately preventing us from operating our regular flights to Tel Aviv at present, we are supporting the Government of Canada in bringing Canadians home safely from Israel through these special repatriation flights," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive at Air Canada. "We continue to monitor the terrible events in Israel very closely and extend to its people our deepest condolences.
"We have flown to Israel since 1995 and it is a very important part of our network. Air Canada is committed to resuming commercial operations as soon as the situation stabilizes," Rousseau said. "I thank all employees involved across Air Canada for their tireless efforts in organizing these special flights."
"We are deeply grateful for Air Canada's assistance in helping to bring Canadians home. We will continue to work around the clock to support Canadians and for those in the region who need assistance, please contact Global Affairs at sos@international.gc.ca," said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
What customers should do:
- Air Canada will operate two repatriation flights using a wide-body aircraft with 300 seats, departing 13OCT and 14OCT from Athens to Toronto
- Global Affairs Canada is coordinating local arrangements in Israel and will provide special codes for Canadians wishing to return home, therefore anyone wanting to board those flights should reach out to Global Affairs Canada first
- Air Canada customers with unused return tickets can exchange them for travel on special repatriation flights to Toronto.
- Passengers without an existing ticket will be able to purchase one on the Air Canada website using the Government code.
- Canadians abroad should contact Global Affairs Canada for more information.
Air Canada Service to Israel
As Open Jaw reported, Air Canada has temporarily cancelled flights to Tel Aviv up to and including 31OCT, 2023.
"We are monitoring this dynamic situation very closely and will resume operations to Tel Aviv when the situation stabilizes," officials said. "There is a goodwill policy in place to enable passengers flying to/from Tel Aviv to make changes to their travel, including options for a refund. Air Canada's normal schedule is 10 weekly flights from Canada to Tel Aviv from both Toronto (daily) and Montreal (3 times weekly)."
