Continues strategically building YVR hub, following new seasonal flights to Melbourne and more flights to Delhi  

VANCOUVER, July 26, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced today the introduction of the only daily service between Vancouver and Yellowknife starting December 15, 2017 until April 1, 2018. Special introductory fares start as low as $219 one-way, all in, and tickets are now available for purchase at aircanada.com or through travel agents.

"We continue to strategically build our Vancouver hub and we are excited to link Vancouver and Yellowknife with daily non-stop flights this winter, complementing our existing Yellowknife services from Calgary and Edmonton.  These new non-stop flights will shave off almost four hours of round-trip travel time for customers travelling between Canada's west coast and the Northwest Territories. In addition to convenient business travel between these two areas, these new flights also connect seamlessly at our YVR trans-Pacific hub to and from our Asia and US transborder networks, offering one-stop ease for visitors travelling to enjoy Canada's spectacular Aurora Borealis and northern winter adventures," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada.

The Hon. Wally Schumann, Minister responsible for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and the Department of Infrastructure, in the Northwest Territories stated: "Air Canada's direct route between Yellowknife and Vancouver is great news for the Northwest Territories' tourism industry and comes just in time for aurora-viewing season. The additional flight enables our visitor numbers to continue to grow by providing travelers with easier and faster routes so they can spend more time enjoying the spectacular Northwest Territories, and comes at a time when the Yellowknifeairport is actively working to attract more business and enhance services to clients and passengers."

City of Yellowknife Mayor Mark Heyck, stated: "Better connections to one of Canada's largest cities will benefit residents and visitors to Yellowknife alike. As interest in Yellowknife as a tourism destination increases, we are very excited with this additional service offered by Air Canada and look forward to welcoming Vancouverites as well as tourists from across the world to our capital city."

The new non-stop services will be offered onboard 75-seat Bombardier CRJ-705 aircraft featuring a choice of Business Class or Economy service operated by Jazz Aviation LP under the Air Canada Express banner. All flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access at the Vancouver hub, priority boarding and other benefits.

So far in 2017, Air Canada has launched new services from its Vancouver hub to: Taipei, Frankfurt, London-Gatwick, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Boston, with Melbourne seasonal flights to begin December 1, and Delhi seasonal service resuming on October 14 increasing up to five times weekly for the 2017/2018 season.

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, 57 in the United States and 95 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, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

SOURCE Air Canada