More flights will pick up stranded Canadians as ‘largest’ peacetime repatriation effort continues
Canada is a sending a handful of flights around the world to bring Canadians home as a growing number of countries close their borders amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.
This morning Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CBC Radio’s The Current he negotiated with the Peruvian government late into the night to allow three Air Canada flights to enter Peru’s closed airspace.
A few hours later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said two more Air Canada flights will pick up Canadians in Morocco in the coming days. Air Canada has also been cleared to fly to Spain, while Air Transat has been cleared for two flights to Honduras and one each to Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala, he said.
«This is probably the largest repatriation effort in Canada’s history in peacetime,» said Champagne, whose department has received close to 10,000 calls and 14,000 emails in the last 48 hours.
ADVISORY TO CANADIANS IN PERU:<br><br>We have secured authorizations for <a href=»https://twitter.com/AirCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»>@AirCanada</a> to operate 3 flights this week. <br><br>Register here: <a href=»https://t.co/BQelLKjTAf»>https://t.co/BQelLKjTAf</a><br><br>➡️All united against <a href=»https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»>#COVID19</a><a href=»https://twitter.com/CanadaPeru?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»>@CanadaPeru</a> <a href=»https://t.co/PkfyuC2GRL»>pic.twitter.com/PkfyuC2GRL</a>
—@FP_Champagne
«This scale and the complexity that we’re facing has never been seen before. This is a book yet to be written because no one has ever seen anything like that, where you have all these things at the same time, and you’re trying to bring people back to Canada.»
WATCH: Trudeau says the government is trying to get Canadians home
Champagne said negotiations are underway with other countries that have closed airspace and borders to try to get Canadians out and talks continue with allies to set up air bridges.
«It’s almost like a chess game. Every time that something is closed we need to find a way to bring our people [home] and that’s what we’re doing on a 24-hour, seven days basis,» he said.
«But we have to admit that there will be Canadians who won’t be able to come back home and we’ll do our utmost to support them wherever they might be.»
The minister urged stranded Canadians to register with the federal government so they can receive more developing information.
