• Strategic expansion of carrier's YVR hub following launch of non-stop flights to Brisbane, San Jose, San Diego and Chicago, and double daily flights to London Heathrow.

VANCOUVER, BC and DUBLIN, June 10, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada's inaugural flight AC1940, from Vancouver departed Friday afternoon, marking the only non-stop service linking Vancouver and Ireland. Air Canada Rouge brings their hallmark customer service excellence to these seasonal flights between Vancouver and the Irish capital city, which operate three times weekly until October 8 with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.

"We are pleased to add the only non-stop flights from Canada's West Coast to Ireland. This route offers convenience to Western Canadians travelling to visit and explore the Emerald Isle's rich landscapes, world-class golf and historic sites, as well as to Irish customers visiting the spectacular attractions Vancouver and British Columbia offer," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "We continue to strategically expand our Vancouver hub, and our seasonal Dublin flights follow our recent launch of non-stop flights from Vancouver to Brisbane, San Diego, Chicago, San Jose, and the doubling of our daily flights to London Heathrow."

"YVR's customers now have non-stop service to the Emerald Isle thanks to Air Canada Rouge," said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. "This new service will connect Vancouver to a country known for its natural beauty, amazing history and rich culture. It will also open new opportunities for European businesses and travellers, connecting them to our world-class city and airport."

Flights are timed to optimize connectivity to and from Air Canada's extensive BC regional network through the airline's Vancouver hub.  All Air Canada flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.

As a result of its ongoing expansion, Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 55 in the United States and 87 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America.

The new Vancouver-Dublin service is part of Air Canada's ongoing international expansion this year, following the recent launch of Vancouver-Brisbane, Montreal-Casablanca, Toronto-London Gatwick and Toronto-Prague. This summer, Air Canada will also launch new international services between Toronto-Budapest, Toronto-Warsaw, Toronto-Glasgow, Toronto-Seoul, Montreal-Lyon and later this fall, Vancouver-Delhi. Last year, Air Canada launched new international services between Toronto-Delhi, Toronto-Amsterdam, Toronto-Dubai, Montreal-Venice, Montreal-Mexico City and Vancouver-Osaka.

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 2015 served more than 41 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 55 in the United States and 87 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 1,321 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.

About Air Canada Rouge
Air Canada Rouge is Air Canada's leisure airline. Together with Air Canada Vacations, Air Canada Rouge offers competitively-priced travel to 70 exciting leisure destinations on 99 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 reputation for safety and reliability and Air Canada Vacations' history of vacation travel excellence. For more information, visit www.flyrouge.com or to book a flight visit www.aircanada.com.

SOURCE Air Canada