LONDON – On June 20, the Canadian flag carrier, Air Canada, announced that it will be expanding its long-haul network for the upcoming Winter 22/23 season.
Additional Winter Services…
Marking a new milestone for the North American aviation sector, Air Canada will become the first airline to operate non-stop direct services between North America and Thailand, with the launch of their new Vancouver to Bangkok scheduled service.
Flight Details –
- Flight AC65 will depart Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 23:00 pm and arrive at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at 05:55 am plus two days. Both times are local.
- Flight AC66 will depart Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at 08:30 am and land back at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 06:35 am. Both times are local.
The new Bangkok service will be operated by Air Canada’s Boeing 787 aircraft four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. It is also scheduled to run from December 1 until April 14 with the return flight starting from December 4 until April 17.
On top of the new Bangkok service, Air Canada will also be resuming its scheduled services to its second destination in India alongside Delhi, to Mumbai.
However, contrary to the Bangkok service starting on the West coast at Vancouver, the Mumbai resumption will start from Eastern Canada in Toronto before heading to London Heathrow in the United Kingdom for a scheduled stopover and then continue onwards to Mumbai from London.
Flight Details:
- Flight AC856 will leave Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) at 20:30 pm and arrive at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 08:30 am the following morning. The aircraft will then depart London Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 11:10 am before finally arriving at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) at 01:40 am the following morning. All times are local.
- Flight AC855 will leave Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) at 04:50 am before landing back at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 09:20 am. The aircraft will then leave London Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 12:00 pm before arriving back at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) at 14:55 pm. All times are local.
The resumed Mumbai service will also be operated by Air Canada’s Boeing 787 aircraft, however, this service will be operated on a daily basis. It is also scheduled to run from October 29 until March 24 with the return flight starting from October 31 until March 26.
It is also worth noting that both of these services are subject to their respective government approvals.
On top of their new Bangkok and resumed Mumbai services, Air Canada will also be restoring and adjusting the following routes for their upcoming Winter 22/23 season:
- India
- Toronto to Delhi – Year-round daily flights.
- Vancouver to Delhi – Three weekly flights to resume from October 1 with a technical stop in Dublin, Ireland for operational purposes.
- Montreal to Delhi – Three weekly year-round flights.
- South Pacific
- Vancouver to Auckland – Three weekly flights to resume from November 10 and will then increase to five weekly flights between December and March.
- Vancouver to Brisbane – Increases to five weekly flights in December.
- Vancouver to Sydney – Increases to 10 weekly flights for both December and January.
- Peru
- Toronto to Lima – Winter seasonal twice-weekly flights to resume from November 4.
- Montreal to Lima – Winter seasonal twice-weekly flights to resume from October 30.
Leader Comments…
Commenting on this latest announcement, Air Canada’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management, Mark Galardo, has said:
“We are extremely pleased to be launching our first non-stop service to South-East Asia this winter, the only one between North America and Thailand.”
“Thailand is a popular leisure destination for Canadians and this new service will give Aeroplan members exciting opportunities to both earn and redeem their points.”
“For further convenience, our Bangkok flights will connect to our extensive domestic and trans-border network giving customers added seamlessness and choice when traveling.”
“We are also excited to return to Mumbai, India’s largest city and an important financial, commercial, and entertainment hub, complementing our 13 weekly flights from Canada to Delhi.”
“Our Mumbai services are scheduled to operate with a stop in London Heathrow, offering connectivity to more than a dozen Air Canada and Star Alliance partner United Airlines flights between North America and London, as well as additional options for travel between the UK and India.”
“The India market remains very important to Air Canada, and we are committed to resuming our currently paused non-stop services to Toronto-Mumbai and Vancouver-Delhi when circumstances allow.”
“We continue to pursue our strategy of expanding our global network in response to pent-up demand and expect to operate approximately 81% of our 2019 international capacity this winter. We look forward to welcoming our customers on board.”