On October 27, Air Canada began non-stop service between Vancouver and Dubai International Airport, the first and only direct service between Western Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Flight AC 78 was operated by a Boeing 787 registered as C-FVNF. The aircraft took off from Vancouver International Airport at 21:16 local time and landed at Dubai International Airport at 23:09 Monday, after 14 hours and 50 minutes. This service is part of the longest routes in Air Canada’s network.
«In Vancouver, our flights are designed to conveniently connect to destinations in Alberta, British Columbia and the western United States. In Dubai, in cooperation with our codeshare and frequent flyer partner Emirates, we have a multitude of destinations in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and East Africa at our disposal,» said Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning.
The new service will complement the daily service between Toronto-Pearson and Dubai operated on Boeing 777-300ERs with a capacity of 400 passengers. This new route follows an increase in bilateral service between Canada and the United Arab Emirates this year.
The Vancouver-Dubai route is projected to generate $30.4 million for the Vancouver economy and provide 63 jobs in the province. In addition to increasing passenger traffic and economic opportunities between the two cities, passengers will also have access to the global destination network from Dubai thanks to the Air Canada and Emirates partnership.
«I would like to thank Air Canada for its continued investment in YVR as its premier transpacific hub. We are delighted to welcome this new route and connect Western Canada with the United Arab Emirates for the benefit of our community and the economy that supports it,» said Tamara Vrooman, President and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority.
Flight schedule between Vancouver and Dubai
- Vancouver – Dubai Flight AC 78 YVR 21:25 – DXB 00:05+2 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
- Dubai – Vancouver Flight AC 79 DXB 02:05 – YVR 05:55 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.
The route will be operated on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft with a capacity of 298 seats in three classes (30 Business Class/21 Premium Economy/247 Economy).
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