Swoop suspending all international, transborder flights due to coronavirus

CALGARY (NEWS 1130) – Swoop will suspend all international and transborder flights as of Sunday to combat the spread of COVID-19, then begin efforts to bring home more than 2,300 customers currently outside of Canada.

The suspension will start at the end of Sunday and continue until May 31, the airline says in a release.

“These are extraordinary times, and we want to be sure our Swoop travellers are safe at home in Canada,” says Bert van der Stege, head of commercial for Swoop. “Our priority is to bring Canadian travellers home, ensuring the safety of our travellers, crew and aircraft. We have put these suspensions and subsequent repatriation efforts in place to continue to deliver on that.”

On Monday, extra flights will begin operating for the Swoop customers abroad, with 15 flights operating over three days to repatriate 2,349 travellers to Canada.

Those travellers are being contacted via email with more specific information on how to re-book on repatriation flights, as well as how to cancel any upcoming international travel.

“As a result of how quickly the COVID-19 outbreak is changing demand for international air travel, we are in constant communication with our travellers through our various channels. We apologize for longer than average response times as we work through these changes,” van der Stege says.

Swoop was established in 2018 and bills itself as an ultra-low-cost airline, independently operated as part of the WestJet Group of companies and offering scheduled service to 17 destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean.

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