Canadian air travellers may face massive fee hikes after lockdown

The airline industry has told Ottawa that it will take years before airports and airlines can recover from the coronavirus lockdown. "We don’t expect recovery in our sector for many years," said one industry spokesperson.

"Recovery of our industry is expected to be slow and arduous. The recovery for the aviation business is going to be extremely long. We have to be financially sound and we have to be ready when that business is ready to come back," they added.

The airline industry has been devastated by the lockdown, as all foreign nationals were banned from flying to Canada. As a result of this, air traffic is down some 90 percent.

Airports have also suffered the strain of lockdown. Halifax Stanfield International Airport, for instance, which usually sees 11,000 travelers has now hit a low of 200.

So far, the air travel industry has expressed frustration with Trudeau's lack of support: "We asked for cash. We were told cash isn’t going to happen," said the spokesperson.

"So, elimination of ground lease rents, but that doesn’t help all airports. But most importantly, we’re looking for loan and bond guarantees."