• Fastest elapsed flying time to Indian subcontinent from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles
• Complements year-round Dreamliner flights from Toronto to Delhi and Mumbai

VANCOUVER, Jan. 30, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today announced that its current seasonal non-stop Vancouver-Delhi flights will become year-round starting June 8, 2018.  These flights are now available for purchase at aircanada.com, through the Air Canada app and through travel agents.

"Customer response to our nonstop Vancouver-Delhi seasonal flights initially launched in 2016 has been extremely positive, and we are very pleased to extend the only flights between Western Canada and India to year-round beginning in June. Our flights to Delhi from our YVR trans-Pacific hub onboard our state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner offers the shortest elapsed flying time from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles to the Indian subcontinent, and coupled with our streamlined and seamless connections process at YVR, means a savings of 3-5 hours compared to journeys connecting in Europe or Asia," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "Our non-stop Vancouver to Delhi flights together with our non-stop Toronto to Delhi and Mumbai flights represent three year-round routes to India launched within the last two and a half years. Air Canada is committing close to $1.5 billion worth of aircraft between Canada and India, underscoring our commitment to this vibrant market and to our continuing strategic, global expansion."

"People in B.C. will benefit from the two-way tourism and business opportunities created through Air Canada's first year-round direct service between Vancouver and Delhi," said B.C. Premier John Horgan. "This new flight helps build on B.C.'s growing business relationships and people-to-people connections with India, the country of origin for over 230,000 British Columbians."

"Air Canada's decision to extend their Delhi service throughout the year is fantastic news! Our local community will now have the opportunity to travel on the revolutionary Dreamliner year-round," said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. "I'd like to extend congratulations for this accomplishment—it is no easy feat to secure year-round service so soon after launching seasonal service. We are thrilled that Air Canada is seeing such great success at YVR, their preferred trans-Pacific hub."

"Delighted to learn that Air Canada will fly non-stop from Vancouver to New Delhi throughout the year. This will have a tremendous beneficial effect on trade, travel and tourism between BC and India," added Vivek A. Savkur, President & CEO BC- India Business Network.

Air Canada has optimized connections to and from the carrier's extensive Western Canada and Western U.S. network through the airline's YVR hub, and in Delhi, Star Alliance partner Air India offers excellent connectivity across the Indian subcontinent. 

Air Canada's flights to India operate with the airline's state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner configured in three cabins with 30 International Business Class lie-flat suites, 21 Premium Economy and 247 Economy Class seats. All flights feature multi-lingual crews, and offer personal in-flight entertainment which includes Bollywood hits and acclaimed multi-lingual art-house films.

Additionally, all flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits, and for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.

Later this year, Air Canada will launch additional new international non-stop services including:

• Toronto to: Shannon (Ireland), Porto (Portugal), Zagreb (Croatia), Bucharest (Romania), Buenos Aires (Argentina)
• Montreal to: Tokyo-Narita (Japan), Dublin (Ireland), Bucharest (Romania), Lisbon (Portugal)
• Vancouver to: Paris (France), Zurich (Switzerland)

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 60 in the United States and 98 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, 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 1,300 airports in 191 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, which also named Air Canada the 2017 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

SOURCE Air Canada