Sunwing to be Saskatoon’s first international flight in more than a year

SASKATOON -

Saskatoon’s first international flight in more than a year is planned for Mexico, according to the Saskatoon International Airport.

"The first airline that’s coming back is Sunwing," said CJ Dushinski, vice-president of business development and service quality of Skyxe Saskatoon International Airport.

"They’re going to be targeting those common destinations, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta."

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, international flights haven’t departed the Saskatoon in over a year. But as of Nov. 30, Saskatoon and Regina’s airports are welcoming back international flights.

"Our phones are literally ringing off the hook," said Jamie Milton, the owner of Uniglobe Carefree Travel.

Milton told CTV News she’s been flooded with COVID-19 travel questions. She said the travel rules depend on the country.

"It’s very specific on destination of where you’re going. But typically, depending where you're going, you either need to be vaccinated or you need to have proof of a negative test," Milton said.

But coming back home is pretty straightforward.

As of Nov. 30, all travellers will need to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of a negative PCR test before crossing the border, according to the Canadian government. 

PCR tests can cost around $200.

Similar to airport screening, passengers can be randomly selected to provide an additional on-arrival test.

While Dushinski said she’s happy for international travel to resume, she said it will take time for Saskatoon’s destination list to resume to normal.

"We’re still not expecting to be full recovery, to where we were in 2019, for another few years," Dushinski said.

"We’re looking into 2023, even 2024, before we still see that 100 per cent recovery."