Behind Porter’s scrappy fight to save the airline

Few airlines exist around the world left unscathed by the coronavirus pandemic, with most drastically slashing schedules and operations, but few have gone into hibernation. That’s what Canada’s Porter Airlines has done, grounding its flights on March 21 last year and now extending its shutdown till May 19. The carrier, based in Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, blamed continued travel restrictions for the latest delay. In January, Porter delayed its restart to March, but has said US-Canada border restrictions, internal travel bans, and a resurgent virus are not enough to offset the pace of vaccination, at least for now. The carrier also warned that the date may slip again. Porter is using this pause to work feverishly to ensure it returns in a healthy enough state to avoid future peril. “We remain optimistic that things are moving in the right direction, but it is possible that this tentative date may also need to be modified if vaccinations don’t accelerate to enable the easing of travel restrictions,” Porter CEO Michael Deluce said.<br/>