Saloni Bhatia – New Delhi
Air Canada will be introducing a non-stop daily flight in between Vancouver and New Delhi, starting October 20, 2016. The flight will operate thrice a week along with the Toronto flight from New Delhi. Air Canada started its non-stop flight New Delhi – Toronto – New Delhi in November last year and now will shift it to a daily service, starting November 6, 2016. The airline also announced the addition of a new service between Toronto and Mumbai to be launched in July, 2017. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Arun Pandeya, country head, Air Canada and GM – India sub-continent, informed, “India was always on the plan of expansion for Air Canada, but we have finally come with the right kind of aircraft. There are very few aircraft which can offer a seamless experience. We have seen tremendous growth in the past year with load factor reaching more than 85 per cent and that too at decent rates.”
Duncan Bureau, vice president – global sales, Air Canada, stated, “Our new flights show our commitment to the India market; Air Canada will be the only carrier to offer a non-stop service between Canada and Mumbai. These routes will operate year-round with Air Canada’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.”
The Vancouver – New Delhi flight will be the fastest connection to the Westcoast from India. The timings have also been planned in accordance with flyers’ convenience. Pandeya said, “One leaves Delhi and reaches in the morning where you have an entire day at leisure. We further have great domestic connections and also serve 56 destinations in the US. Another major factor is that the Canadian government does not charge fee for a transit visa. The load factors on the Toronto flights have outreached our forecasts. It has increased both ways which has given us the confidence to add more destinations. Therefore we will launch our services to another hub – Mumbai, starting July 2017.”
These routes will operate year-round with Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The aircraft features 29 International Business Class lie-flat seat suites, 21 Premium Economy and 247 economy class seats, with upgraded in-flight entertainment at every seat throughout the aircraft. All flights will provide for priority check-ins, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.