Air Canada is seeing “very good” forward booking demand on flights between Vancouver and Singapore, and will increase frequencies between the two cities in December.
David Rheault, vice-president for government and community relations, says the airline plans to add an additional weekly service from 4 December, bringing its operation to five flights per week.
“That shows that the route is performing very well. Overall, I can tell you that the bookings are looking very good”, says Rheault, declining to elaborate further. He was speaking at a media event in Singapore marking the inaugural flight on 4 April.
Air Canada’s flights to Singapore – the airline’s longest scheduled route – are operated by Boeing 787-9s, configured to seat 298 passengers in a three-class layout.
Air Canada’s launch of nonstop flights from Vancouver to Singapore marks the Star Alliance carrier’s return to the city state, a market it has not served since 1991. It also marks the return of direct air links between the two countries, after Singapore Airlines exited the market in October 2023.
SIA operated nonstop thrice weekly flights between Singapore and Vancouver from December 2021, using Airbus A350-900s. The airline cited demand challenges when it axed the route two years later.
Rheault downplays any concerns about a lack of demand, adding that Air Canada is “definitely confident” there is enough interest to sustain the route. Its partnership with fellow alliance member SIA is also “key to the success of this route”, given the two carriers have a wide-ranging codeshare agreement.
“As this route links two hubs, so you have good potential of connectivity beyond Singapore – to other cities [in the region] – and beyond Vancouver, to other cities in Canada. [When] you look at the overall potential market for this route, we are very confident,” says Rheault.
Without providing a detailed breakdown, Rheault adds that the passenger mix for the route is “well-balanced” between transit passengers, as well as those looking to visit Vancouver or Singapore.
Singapore is Air Canada’s second Southeast Asian destination: the airline also operates a seasonal service between Vancouver and Bangkok.
Air Canada’s senior director for sales in Asia-Pacific Kiyo Weiss says the airline is seeing “strong growth” post-pandemic across the region. Apart from Singapore, the airline is due to launch Toronto-Osaka Kansai and Seoul Incheon-Montreal direct flights this year.
The network expansion sees Air Canada’s Asia-Pacific capacity grow around 26% above 2023 levels, Weiss adds.
