Canada Has Just Issued A Travel Advisory For Maui & Here's What To Know About The Fires
Flights to Maui are being cancelled.
Fires near Lahaina and Upcountry in Maui
If you planning to head to Hawaii for your summer vacation, listen up. Canada has just issued a travel advisory for the island of Maui in the midst of wildfires.
In a travel advisory for the United States, which was updated on August 10, 2023, the Government of Canada has urged all Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to Maui due to ongoing wildfires
Maui now falls under the "avoid non-essential travel" risk level in the travel advisory and the Canadian government has told tourists their "safety and security could be at risk."
Those who are already in Maui have been asked to consider whether they actually need to be there.
"If you do not need to be there, you should think about leaving," the Canadian government said.
@narcitytoronto Canadian are being asked to avoid non-essential travel to Maui, Hawaii, as devastating wildfires continue to spread across the island. The travel warning prompted Air Canada to cancel its regular daily flights between Maui and Vancouver until further notice. #maui #traveladvisory #aircanada #canadatravel #hawaii #mauiwildfire
The government's travel advisory echoes messages from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which has "strongly discouraged" travel to Maui right now.
Wildfires across parts of Maui were first reported on Tuesday, August 8, and are believed to have killed 36 people as of August 9, according to Maui County.
In an alert, the Hawaii Tourism Authority said the wildfires are burning in multiple areas of the island including Lahaina, Kihei, and Upcountry Maui and the Mauna Kea Resort area on Hawaiʻi Island, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of residents and visitors and the closure of some major roadways.
"Visitors who have travel plans to West Maui in the coming weeks are encouraged to consider rescheduling their travel plans for a later time," the Hawaii Tourism Authority said.
Canadian airlines have also been responding to the fires in Maui, signalling that flights will be impacted.
On August 9, WestJet announced there may be delays and cancellations for flights to Maui between August 9 and August 17, 2023.
The airline added there would be flexible change and cancellation guidelines for those due to be travelling to Maui.
In an update online on August 10, Air Canada said flights to Maui may be impacted.
The airline told Narcity in a statement that it cancelled a flight to Maui from Vancouver on Tuesday. Last night, it ran a "ferry flight" to collect passengers from Maui, which arrived back in Vancouver this morning.
A second ferry flight is scheduled for the evening of August 10.
"We continue to monitor the Maui situation very closely as this is an evolving situation. Air Canada has put in place a flexible goodwill policy for passengers travelling to and from Maui," the airline added.