Air Canada Adds Africa and Four New European Cities to its Growing International Network for Summer 2016

Canada's flag carrier becomes one of only a dozen airlines worldwide flying to six continents

Air Canada rouge's 2016 summer season will introduce seasonal non-stop service from:

  • Montreal to Casablanca, the first African destination in Air Canada's network
  • Toronto to Prague, Budapest, Glasgow and Warsaw, all new destinations
  • Seats on all these new routes are now available for purchase at a special introductory fare starting as low as CAD$869 roundtrip, all-in for travel before July 2016

MONTREAL, Sept. 9, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today announced one of its most far-reaching summer schedule expansions ever with its first route to Africa and the addition of four major European cities to its global network. The new Air Canada rouge service to Casablanca, Morocco, means Air Canada will be one of only a dozen airlines in the world that serve six continents.

"Air Canada is solidifying its position among leading global carriers by becoming one of only a dozen airlines flying to six continents with today's announcement of non-stop service to Casablanca, our first destination in Africa. Our Montreal-Casablanca flight will also be the only service to North Africa by a North American carrier and our aim is to transform this new route into a year-round operation. Our new, non-stop Air Canada rouge routes to Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, and Glasgow from Toronto Pearson are equally important as we continue to build out our network from our global gateway hub with more international destinations. The European services will be complemented by our Star Alliance partners, giving customers an even wider choice of travel options," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.

All the new services will be operated by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada's leisure carrier. All flights will be flown using a 280-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Customers will have the ability to collect and redeem Aeroplan miles. Seats are now available for purchase. To promote these new non-stop routes, Air Canada is offering a special introductory fare starting as low as CAD$869 roundtrip, all-in for travel before July 2016.

Route Details:

  • Toronto-Prague: service begins May 29, 2016 with flight AC1922 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 16:55 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Prague at 7:20 the next day.  Return flight AC1923 departs Prague at 9:30 and arrives in Toronto 12:40 on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Service ends for the season on Sept. 29, 2016.

 

  • Montreal-Casablanca: service begins June 3, 2016 with flight AC1936 and operates four times weekly, subject to obtaining the necessary government approvals. Departs Montreal at 21:40 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Casablanca at 10:00 the next day. Return flight AC1937 departs Casablanca at 11:55 and arrives in Montreal at 14:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Service ends for the season on Oct. 17, 2016.

 

  • Toronto-Budapest:  service begins June 10, 2016 with flight AC1910 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 22:35 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, arriving in Budapest 13:35 the next day.  Return flight AC1911 departs Budapest at 15:05 and arrives in Toronto at 18:45 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Service ends for the season on Oct. 15, 2016.

 

  • Toronto-Glasgow: service begins June 13, 2016 with flight AC1938 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 18:55 on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, arriving in Glasgow at 6:40 the next day. Return flight AC1939 departs Glasgow at 8:25 and arrives in Toronto 10:50 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Service ends for the season on Sept. 25, 2016.

 

  • Toronto-Warsaw: service begins June 16, 2016 with flight AC1926 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 18:30 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, arriving in Warsaw at 9:30 the next day. Return flight AC1927 departs Warsaw at 11:00 and arrives Toronto 14:50 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Service ends for the season on Sept. 30, 2016.

 

Since 2009, Air Canada has increased its system-wide international capacity, measured by seats, by approximately 50 per cent. This year, Air Canada launched new international services from Montreal to Venice and Mexico, Vancouver to Osaka, and Toronto to Amsterdam. In November, the airline will launch non-stop service to Dubai and Delhi from Toronto and it has also announced new service beginning in 2016 to Brisbane from Vancouver, to Lyon from Montreal, and to London-Gatwick from Toronto.

About Air Canada and Air Canada rouge

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 190 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2014 served more than 38 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 Canadian cities, 52 destinations in the United States and 78 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,321 airports in 193 countries.  Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

Air Canada rouge is Air Canada's leisure airline. Together with Air Canada Vacations, Air Canada rouge offers competitively-priced travel to 60 exciting leisure destinations on 82 routes in Europe, Mexico, the U.S., the Caribbean, Asia, South America, Africa and Canada. As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Air Canada rouge is backed by Air Canada's 77-year reputation for safety and reliability and Air Canada Vacations' 30-plus year history of vacation travel excellence. For more information, visit www.flyrouge.com or to book a flight visit www.aircanada.com. Visit Air Canada rouge on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aircanadarouge.

 

SOURCE Air Canada

For further information: Contacts: Isabelle Arthur (Montréal), Isabelle.arthur@aircanada.ca, 514 422-5788; Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), peter.fitzpatrick@aircanada.ca, 416 263-5576; Angela Mah (Vancouver), angela.mah@aircanada.ca, 604 270-5741; Internet: aircanada.com