Travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to provide a negative test for the virus upon arrival in Canada as of 1 April, marking a continued easing of travel restrictions as airlines in that nation re-launch their networks. Ottawa decided to ease travel rules due to the high vaccination rate and increased availability of rapid tests for Covid-19, Canada’s health minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced on 17 March. “As vaccination levels and healthcare system capacity improve, we will continue to consider further easing of measures at the borders – and when to adjust those measures – to keep the people in Canada safe,” Duclos states. Federal and provincial travel restrictions in Canada since 2020 were stricter compared with the USA. The rate of new infections was consistently lower compared with the USA, World Health Organization data shows. Air Canada and WestJet were among the critics of these travel restrictions that stifled travel demand. Thanking the efforts of Canadians “to protect one another” by following those travel rules, Canada’s minister of tourism Randy Boissonnault states: “The economy, workers and tourism business owners will benefit from this next step in opening Canada up once again to the world”. Praising the move, Air Canada states: “The end of pre-departure testing will provide travellers with more certainty, allowing them to plan their next trip with more confidence and without the worry of incurring additional costs”. An initial easing of Canada’s travel rules in February prompted the flag carrier and other airlines in that nation to announce plans to restore most of their networks to 2019 levels during the summer travel months. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns travellers that Canada still has a “very high” rate of infections in the wake of the surge of the Omicron variant.

The parent company of Aeromexico on 17 March announced that it has fulfilled its court-mandated requirements and has exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, marking the end of a two-year process as the flag carrier invests in the expansion of its fleet. Aeromexico entered Chapter 11 protection in June 2020 through the bankruptcy court of the Southern District of New York. The airline in January gained approval from both its creditors and the US court for its plan of reorganisation, which values the company at $2.56 billion. Stakeholders in the airline group are funding $763 million in new exit debt as part of the $1.5 billion being raised by the company, Aeromexico chief executive Andres Conesa states. Aeromexico plans to invest $5 billion “over the next five years in fleet and customer experience improvements” to rebuild and expand the airline, he says. Grupo Aeromexico has 128 operating aircraft, including 42 Embraer E190 jets at its regional subsidiary Aeromexico Connect, along with 69 Boeing 737-family aircraft and 17 787s at its mainline carrier. It aims to grow this fleet to a total of 147 jets by the end of 2022. Aeromexico capacity during March is scheduled to be 16% below that month in 2019 as travel demand recovers. Mexico throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has been the top international destination of American travellers, according to data from Airlines Reporting Corporation, analysed by trade group Airlines for America (A4A). For the near future, however, Mexican carriers including Aeromexico will not be able to launch new routes, increase frequencies or to register new aircraft to fly in US airspace. The US Federal Aviation Administration in May 2021 determined that Mexico does not comply with international safety standards set by ICAO and downgraded carriers in that nation to a Category 2 air safety rating. That decision does not impact existing routes and aircraft already registered for US flights. The pandemic continues and challenges remain, yet Conesa says: “Today is an incredibly exciting day for Aeromexico and we are ready to soar to new heights”.

British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com flights will start operating again on Thursday morning, 17 March 2022, following the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) reinstating the company's Air Operators' Certificate (AOC). "We're pleased that the situation is finally resolved, following an immense effort over five days and nights to engage and work with the SACAA. After a thorough review of Comair's documentation, the SACAA has lifted the precautionary suspension of Comair's licence. "Our focus is now to get our operations back to normal as quickly as possible so we can further assist our customers," Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond said in a statement issued late on Wednesday evening. The British Airways and kulula.com schedules will be restored in a phased manner, and customers are advised to check the schedules on the airlines' websites before going to the airport.