Air Canada adds 3 new YVR flights

Air Canada has announced three new flights from Vancouver with new services launching June 2018 to Paris and Zurich, and the start of year-round flights to Melbourne.

The new Vancouver-Zurich flights will operate three times weekly from June 7 to Oct. 14, 2018 and will connect to and from destinations in Europe, Africa and India with Star Alliance partner Swiss International Air Lines. Service to Melbourne will begin June 1 and will operate three times per week year-round, with flights timed to connect to and from Adelaide, Canberra, Perth and to Tasmania with codeshare partner Virgin Australia. Flights to Paris will take place four times per week from June 8 to Oct. 15, 2018.

All flights will be available for purchase starting Sept. 6.

In addition, Air Canada is increasing its non-stop Delhi flights from Vancouver that resume Oct. 14, with up to five times weekly service for the 2017/2018 season, and increasing its London-Heathrow service with twice-daily flights for summer 2018.

"We continue to strategically broaden our international network from our Vancouver hub with the addition of two new, non-stop international services to Europe in 2018, more year-round flights to Australia, and additional flights to Delhi and London Heathrow. With the launch of flights to Paris and Zurich, Air Canada will fly non-stop from YVR to five European destinations next summer, offering excellent options for travellers from BC and the North American west coast to Europe, and as well as for European visitors and beyond to western Canada and the Pacific Northwest," said Benjamin Smith, president, passenger airlines at Air Canada.

"Just one of these new connections would have been big news, but to be able to announce three major new services in one day is really exciting, and a true testament to the work Air Canada is doing to grow their transpacific hub here at YVR," said Craig Richmond, President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. "These new flights will open up exciting opportunities for travellers to connect to and from Europe, Australia and beyond. I would like to thank our long-standing partner Air Canada for continuing to bring these exciting new services to YVR."

In 2017, Air Canada has launched new services from its Vancouver hub to: Taipei (year-round), Frankfurt (seasonal), Nagoya (seasonal), London-Gatwick (seasonal), Dallas-Fort Worth (year-round), Denver (year-round) and Boston (seasonal). Delhi seasonal service resumes on Oct. 14 and will increase up to five times weekly for the 2017/2018 season. Still to launch are Melbourne seasonal flights beginning Dec. 1; Yellowknife seasonal flights beginning Dec. 15; and Orlando seasonal flights beginning Dec. 20.