Porter Airlines to keep flights grounded through late March

Porter Airlines flights will remain grounded for more than a year after the company first suspended its service.

The airline announced on Monday that it was delaying its planned restart date to March 29, after having previously announced a target of February.

Company officials pointed to a continuing surge in COVID-19 cases and the resulting public health measures as a reason for pushing back their resumption of service.

"With the introduction of vaccines, we are more optimistic about determining a date in the near-term to reintroduce flights than at any point since the pandemic began," airline president and chief executive officer Michael Deluce said in a statement.

"More time is needed to assess the vaccine's influence on current travel restrictions and when it is appropriate to begin operations again. We expect to establish a timeline for this to happen in the first part of 2021."

The Toronto-based airline has halted their commercial flights since March 21, 2020.

The airline has flight crew members and maintenance staff based in Thunder Bay.