Article from BTNews 27 FEBRUARY 2017
Montreal – Shanghai debut
Links between Canada and Asia were strengthened further last week as Air Canada made Montreal its third hub to have a direct service with China, launching a daily B787-8 service to Shanghai Pudong. The company already serves Shanghai from Toronto Pearson and Vancouver.
President passenger airlines Benjamin Smith noted the launch also marked Air Canada’s first 787-8 service from Montreal, further underlining the carrier’s commitment to reinforcing the city as a strategic hub.
No other airline currently flies the 11,347km (7,051mi) link between the two cities, although Air China has flights between Beijing and Montreal, the Canadian airport’s only other Chinese service.
Seat capacity between China and Canada grew by more than 44% last year, helped by the addition of six new airport pairs. This year, the market is served by eight carriers, with Beijing Capital Airlines launching its first flights at the end of December.
Meanwhile, Air Canada will expand services between Canada and Israel this year by introducing a summer seasonal non-stop service between Montreal and Tel Aviv and increasing its Toronto – Tel Aviv non-stop service to daily year-round.
The airline says the new services will deliver a 28% capacity increase over summer 2016 and reflect deepening cultural and business ties between the countries.
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