KITCHENER -- Some special planes took to the sky for a special reason on Saturday.

The Waterloo Warbirds flew over the region, Guelph, and the surround area to recognize Canadians for their fight against the pandemic.

The flight also paid tribute to all the essential workers who have worked tirelessly to keep communities safe.

The trio of warplanes took off from the Region of Waterloo airport just before noon for a flight dubbed "Operation Revival."

"It's our way of saying thank you not only to essential service people, who have done a fantastic job with what we've gone through, but to everybody that has had to make a change in their life one way or another," said team coordinator Doug Sheppard.

The flight from the Warbirds was roughly 250 kilmetres long.