Spain’s CanaryFly suspends flights through late 1Q21

CanaryFly (PM, Las Palmas) has suspended all scheduled flights between January 11 and March 21, 2021, in response to a renewed set of travel restrictions and plummeting demand. “There are many regular passengers who, due to the pandemic, have stopped flying. The Canary Islands have stopped travelling for pleasure or leisure and only move between islands when strictly necessary. This has generated in recent months a notable decrease in the occupancy of practically all our flights,” General Director Régulo Andrade said in a press release. The regional specialist operates six ATR72-500s on a network comprising exclusively inter-island flight within the Canary Islands. It serves six airports on six different islands: Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Tenerife Norte, and Valverde. The airline said it intended to resume its full-scale operations on March 22. Besides the six passenger Avions de Transport Régional turboprops, CanaryFly recently added its first dedicated freighter, an ATR72-500(F). The aircraft has yet to enter into service. Local rival Binter Canarias (NT, Las Palmas) continues to operate its flights in the Canary Islands, as well as to mainland Spain and Portugal.