(SYDNEY) Friday, October 30th, 2020 – Air Canada has notified J.A. McCurdy Sydney Airport that the
inter-provincial flight from Sydney to Halifax will be cut for November 2nd to November 30th. The
airline is only notifying airports of flight schedules a week in advance for the upcoming month as
demand has been severely hampered for air travel.

“This route has been in place since 1942 - for 78 years. Entire sectors of our island economy depend
on it, and this announcement combined with recent WestJet route suspensions, means that there are
now no flights at all between Sydney and Halifax” said Mike MacKinnon, CEO of J.A. McCurdy Sydney
Airport.

“Pre-COVID, the Sydney-Halifax route was served by those air carriers up to four times per day, it is an
important route to connect the Cape Breton business community, mobile workers who travel on
rotation, the University and our tourism industry,” said MacKinnon. He added, “CBRM is the second
largest municipality in Nova Scotia and the entire island of Cape Breton needs air access in order for
our economy to prosper, these cuts to our route network are becoming increasingly concerning.”

“I believe our Province must find a way forward with rapid testing to safely remove the barriers to
domestic travel that exist in our region before the damage done to our route network is irreparable.”

“If there was ever a time for a rallying cry for Cape Breton Island’s airport, it’s now. We are down to 5
flights per week to Toronto and demand is weak. For most people, quarantining for 14-days upon
return home just isn’t an option. If air service for our community is lost, what would it take to
reinstate it? These are my concerns, they are real. We are entering into the most challenging months
for air service demand in our region being November, January and February. Frankly, the outlook for
our airport is bleak.”

The airline industry doesn’t expect a recovery to pre COVID-19 levels for four to five years at a
minimum. Our airport businesses have been decimated and our financial sustainability is in serious
question. Airports are critical to economic vitality and our provinces need timely, dependable and
convenient flight connections when we move to the recovery side of this pandemic.

MacKinnon says that the industry has been strongly advocating for a coordinated federal government
approach to air industry supports, and there are signs that financial support is coming. “We need that
support, it is essential to keeping the airport in Sydney running. But beyond that, we need our
Province to step in and find a way to safely allow air travel through rapid testing. The Alberta
government has just announced that they are moving forward with a pilot to safely reduce the
quarantine measure for international travel. We would like to welcome fellow Canadians safely to our

region with a rapid testing pilot that can be an adequate way to reduce quarantine measures and
keep the public safe.”

About J.A. McCurdy Sydney Airport
J.A. McCurdy Sydney Airport is the gateway to Cape Breton Island with convenient connections
through Halifax, Toronto and seasonally through Montreal. Our regional airport is Cape Breton
Island’s connection for Cape Breton University, the business community and the Island’s tourism
industry accounting for 140 direct jobs and indirect jobs.

Contact:
Mike MacKinnon, CEO
Cell – 1-902-578-5724