Air Canada's First Nonstop Service to Southeast Asia

DALLAS - Air Canada (AC) has announced the addition of Bangkok, Thailand, to its international network, marking the carrier's first nonstop service to the region.

Flights to Mumbai (BOM), the airline's second destination in the key India market, will also resume. Winter seasonal flights to Bangkok will depart from the airline's trans-Pacific hub at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) four times a week, while flights to Mumbai will depart from Toronto via London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) on a daily basis.

Final government approvals are required for both routes.

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

Southeast Asian Route Schedule

FlightFromToDays of
WeekDepartsArrivesAircraftSeasonAC65YVR
(Vancouver)BKK
(Bangkok)Mon,
Wed,
Fri, Sun23:0005:55 +2
daysBoeing
787Dec. 1 -
Apr. 14AC66BKK
(Bangkok)YVR
(Vancouver)Tue, Wed,
Fri, Sun08:3006:35Boeing
787Dec. 4 -
Apr. 17AC856YYZ
(Toronto)LHR
(London)Daily20:3008:30 +1
dayBoeing
787Oct. 29-
Mar. 24 LHR(London)BOM
(Mumbai)Daily11:10 +1 day01:40 +2
days AC855BOM(Mumbai)LHR
(London)Daily04:5009:20Boeing
787Oct. 31-
Mar. 26 LHR
(London)YYZ
(Toronto)Daily12:0014:55 Table: Air Canada

Air Canada C-FVNB Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Michal Mendyk/Airways

Flying the Dreamliner

Customers can choose from three cabins of service on the planned Boeing 787 Dreamliner service between Vancouver and Bangkok, as well as between Toronto and Mumbai through LHR. The Dreamliner will have lie-flat seats in Signature Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class. Seats are now on sale via aircanada.com, aircanada.com/Aeroplan, the Air Canada App, Air Canada Contact Centers, and travel agencies.

With the restoration of seasonal service from Vancouver to Auckland, New Zealand, as well as new flights to Sydney and Brisbane, Australia, AC is expanding its international winter offering to the South Pacific region.

The Canadian carrier is also resuming seasonal flights from Montreal and Toronto to Lima, Peru, as part of its international expansion.

Air Canada C-FVLQ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Michal Mendyk/Airways

Comments from Air Canada

Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management, at Air Canada, stated via a press release, "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 travelling," added Mr. Galardo.

"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... 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 on 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 percent of our 2019 international capacity this winter. We look forward to welcoming our customers on board," said Mr. Galardo.

Featured image: Air Canada C-FVND Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Daniel Gorun/Airways