Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Italy

Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Italy, saying Italian regulations and ``ongoing health and safety concerns'' prompted the decision.

The airline's last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto today, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday.

Air Canada hopes to restart service May 1.

Meanwhile, it says affected customers will be notified and offered a full refund.

In January, Canada's largest airline halted all direct flights to China, the epicentre of the virus, as it braced for a hit to revenues.

Its shares have fallen about 40 per cent in the past seven weeks.