Air Canada has announced it has suspended all flights out of Fredericton, New Brunswick and also is cancelling its flights between Toronto and St. John's, Newfoundland.

The CBC said Air Canada also is slashing all flights in and out of Labrador, and that it's suspending flights between Halifax and Gander, Newfoundland.

Published reports on Wednesday said the airline also will cease flying to Prince Rupert, Kamloops and Yellowknife by January 23.

Air Canada cites the second wave of the pandemic and subsequent lack of air travel as the reason for its cuts..

Air Canada said it did not take the decisions lightly.

"We regret the impact on our customers and community partners, but it is increasingly difficult to continue to operate in this challenging environment, without specific financial support from government, with whom we continue to wait for negotiations to start," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Passenger volumes are still less than eight per cent of normal "with no horizon for recovery," it said.

Air Canada in December also suspended all flights in and out of Sydney, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick. Those cuts took effect earlier this week.

The airline also trimmed seven other routes in Newfoundland and Labrador last summer, as well as making cuts to service in Ontario, Quebec and Western Canada.

WestJet last week said it's been forced to cut 30% of its routes and temporarily lay off or furlough 1,000 workers.

Canadian airlines still haven't received any sector-specific assistance from the federal government, despite the pandemic hitting ten months ago. Talks between the airline industry and Ottawa began on November 8, but there's been almost no suggestion of serious progress.