Government of Canada designates Air Canada and Sunwing to serve Mexico

OTTAWA, Sept. 1 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, announced the designations of Air Canada and Sunwing Airlines Inc. to operate additional scheduled international air services between Canada and Mexico.

"The designations of Air Canada and Sunwing Airlines demonstrate the excellent working relationship between Canada and Mexico, and the strength of the bilateral air market," said Minister Strahl. "They will also benefit Canadians by providing greater choice for travel between both countries."

These designations allow Air Canada to serve the additional routes of Regina-Cancun, St. John's-Cancun and Montréal-Cozumel, and Sunwing to serve the additional route of Montréal-Cozumel. Under Canada's international air transportation policy, all Canadian air carriers may apply to the Minister of Transport for designation to operate scheduled international air services. These latest designations were made possible by the 1961 Canada-Mexico bilateral Air Transport Agreement, as amended in 1999 and 2007.

The Government of Canada is proud of its record in providing more choices to Canadians for their international air travel. Since January 2006, the Government of Canada has negotiated open, new or expanded air service agreements with a total of 51 countries, including:

    
    -   open skies-type agreements with nine countries: the United Kingdom
        (UK), Ireland, Iceland, New Zealand, Barbados, the Dominican
        Republic, Costa Rica, South Korea and El Salvador;
    -   expanded agreements with nine countries: Portugal, Brazil, Mexico,
        Japan, Jordan, Singapore, the Philippines, Morocco and Cuba;
    -   new "first-time" agreements with nine countries: Algeria, Kuwait,
        Serbia, Croatia, Panama, Turkey, South Africa, Ethiopia and Tunisia;
        and
    -   a comprehensive air transport agreement between Canada and the
        European Union's 27 member states. This includes the UK, Ireland and
        Portugal, as well as Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
        Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia, with which Canada did not previously
        have air agreements.
    

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For further information: John Babcock, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa, 613-991-0700; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055