Air Canada plans to launch non-stop flights to Singapore from its hub at Vancouver International airport beginning in April 2024, a move coming as Singapore Airlines prepares to axe the route.
The Montreal-based carrier said on 14 June that it intends to operate four-times weekly flights between Vancouver and Singapore Changi airport using its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Singapore Airlines has flown the route since December 2021 using Airbus A350s, but will nix the flight after September, Cirium schedules data shows. Air Canada sells seats on those flights under a codeshare partnership with Singapore Airines. Both carriers are also members of Star Alliance.
Cirium fleets data shows that Air Canada has 38 787s in service. The aircraft are configured with three cabins – economy, premium economy and Signature Class with lie-flat beds.
The new route capitalises on “growing business links” to the Asia-Pacific region and ”Canada’s changing demographics”, the carrier says.
It also fits into Air Canada’s plan to grow Vancouver International as a “premier transpacific hub”, says Mark Galardo, executive vice-president of revenue and network planning at Air Canada.
”Singapore is a top global financial centre, a multicultural destination that offers an abundance of tourism and food experiences, as well as an important gateway to destinations in Southeast Asia, Southern India and Western Australia,” he adds.
Air Canada is returning to Singapore Changi airport after a three-decade absence, according to Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice-president for air hub and cargo development at Changi Airport Group.
”The resumption of the Vancouver-Singapore service strengthens the connectivity between Canada and Asia, and will facilitate growth in both business and leisure travel,” Kiat says.
In April, the carrier said it plans to fly non-stop between Vancouver to Dubai four times weekly using 787s and starting on 28 October.
