Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the airline industry is seeing “significant improvement” this summer compared to last when it comes to reducing the number of flight cancellations and delays, despite several disruptions in recent weeks.
Alghabra said Friday he wanted to address the delays, because he knows they’re on the mind of Canadians this summer travel season, and pointed to his government’s plans to strengthen air passenger rights and introduce transparency and service standards in the industry as ways the Liberals are working to improve the situation.
In a statement to BNN Bloomberg, a spokesperson for Nav Canada said aircraft capacity issues in Vancouver combined with "unplanned absences" forced the delays. Further disruptions during the 2022 winter holiday season meant thousands of Canadians were waiting for hours or left stranded at various airports, and others said there was little to no communication from airlines, forcing them to scramble to make plans.