Air Canada to Partner with Flydubai on 60 Destinations

DALLAS — Air Canada (AC) and Flydubai (FZ) have announced interline and codeshare agreements between the two carriers. This new partnership will give AC travelers more connectivity across the Middle East and Southern Asia. Both airlines will codeshare on nine flights and interline on over 60 destinations.

On May 17, the Canadian airline announced its newest codeshare agreement with the Emirati low-cost carrier. Although the agreement is still awaiting the go-ahead from regulators, once it receives approval, it will connect AC's hub at Toronto-Pearson with FZ's network ranging across East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia included in the interline agreement.

Furthermore, AC's code will be used on nine routes operated by FZ, including Muscat (MCT), Bahrain (BAH), Jeddah (JED), Medina (MED), Dammam (DMM), Karachi (KHI), and Colombo (CMB).

Even though AC and Emirates (EK) have a codeshare agreement, the agreement with EK's sibling airline will be unique and will not be operated by any other partner. Even though FZ and Emirates are separate carriers, both operate closely and share the same owner, the Investment Corporation of Dubai. This further strengthens connectivity across the Middle East and South Asia for North American travelers. 

The partnership comes as AC announced its plan to begin a four-weekly nonstop service between Vancouver (YVR) and Dubai (DXB). A Boeing 787 Dreamliner will operate this flight and will start in October 2023. starting in October 2023. This new route supplements AC's daily flight between Toronto (YYZ) and Dubai using a Boeing 777-300ER.

Comments from Air Canada, Flydubai Officials

Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada, Mark Galardo, commented, "Air Canada is very pleased to partner with flydubai, further expanding our connectivity to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, a growing source of immigration and travel to Canada. This new partnership is a perfect complement to Air Canada's nonstop service to Dubai from Toronto and Vancouver, and growing our relationship with Emirates, flydubai's codeshare partner. Together we look forward to bringing together our networks and building a better experience for our customers."

Flydubai's Chief Commercial Officer, Hamad Obaidalla, said, "We are very pleased to be adding Air Canada to our list of partners and to offer their passengers a seamless travel experience on the flydubai network. We look forward to growing this partnership that offers passengers the benefits and the convenience of connecting via the Dubai aviation hub, and we look forward to welcoming them on board soon."

Both carriers plan on improving connections in Dubai. They are working on expanded features and benefits for each other's loyalty program members, which will be announced in late 2023. 

Air Canada is the largest airline in Canada and the country's flag carrier. The airline serves over 180 airports across six continents. It operates a fleet of 344 aircraft along with its regional subsidiary Air Canada Jazz and its low-cost leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge. 

Based in Dubai, FlyDubai serves over 110 destinations across 50 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The carrier operates a 75 Boeing 737 aircraft fleet, including Boeing 737-800s, 737-8s, and 737-9s.

Featured image: C-FVNF Air Canada Boeing 787-9. Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways