Air Canada suspends all flights to and from Sydney, N.S.

Air Canada is suspending all its flights to and from Sydney, N.S., starting Thursday.

J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport in Sydney made the announcement Wednesday morning on social media.

Air Canada has two flights a day between Sydney and Halifax. They're suspended until the end of April, and the airline said that may be extended.

Air Canada cancelled its daily flight from Sydney to Toronto March 23.

WestJet flies into Sydney once a day, and that flight is still available for booking on the airline's website.

The CEO of the Sydney Airport Authority said the suspended flights will mean layoffs at the authority. In an email to CBC, Mike MacKinnon said car rental agencies and the airport's restaurant have already closed.

MacKinnon said even in a good year, small regional airports such as Sydney face financial struggles.

Airport lobbying for aid

He said there's no government relief yet for small airports such as Sydney.  

Ottawa announced on Monday that it would waive ground lease rents for 21 airport authorities for the rest of 2020.  The Sydney airport is not included in those 21.

MacKinnon said the local authority is working with the Canadian Airports Council and the Atlantic Canada Airports Association to lobby for financial aid.

He said Atlantic Canada airports expect operations losses of more than $118 million because of COVID-19.