Air Canada Launching Vancouver To Dubai Route

Air Canada Launching Vancouver To Dubai Route

27

This is exciting — Air Canada has just announced a second route to Dubai!

Air Canada’s new Vancouver to Dubai flight

As of October 28, 2023, Air Canada will launch a new 4x weekly flight between Vancouver (YVR) and Dubai (DXB). The route will operate with the following schedule:

AC78 Vancouver to Dubai departing 8:50PM arriving 11:50PM (+1 day)
AC79 Dubai to Vancouver departing 2:00AM arriving 5:55AM

Air Canada will use a Boeing 787-9 for the route, featuring 298 seats. This includes 30 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 247 economy seats.

Air Canada’s Boeing 787 business class

The flight to Dubai will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while the flight to Vancouver will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The flight will cover a distance of 7,306 miles in each direction. The flight time will be staggeringly long, given that Air Canada has to avoid Russian airspace — the flight is blocked at 15hr to Dubai, and 15hr55min to Vancouver.

This new service complements Air Canada’s existing daily service between Toronto (YYZ) and Dubai (DXB). For what it’s worth, that flight operates with the following schedule:

AC56 Toronto to Dubai departing 10:25PM arriving 7:35PM (+1 day)
AC57 Dubai to Toronto departing 1:30AM arriving 8:20AM

Air Canada will fly from Toronto and Vancouver to Dubai

How this fits into service between Canada & the UAE

In late 2022, Air Canada and Emirates launched a new partnership, which even includes reciprocal points redemptions. This agreement is significant. Canada has an incredibly diverse population, with lots of people from parts of the world that are well served through Dubai. This creates great one-stop connectivity between Canada’s largest cities and the region.

Beyond that, Canada and the United Arab Emirates recently modified their bilateral flight agreement, allowing for increased frequencies between the two countries:

  • With this, airlines from Canada can operate 21 weekly flights to the UAE, and airlines from the UAE can operate 21 weekly flights to Canada, marking a 50% increase over the previous limits
  • It gets even better than that, though; previously there was a total limit on the number of seats, which is why Emirates wouldn’t even operate daily A380s, while that cap has now been lifted

Just to keep tabs on the current service that has been announced between Canada and the UAE:

  • Air Canada will operate 11x weekly flights to Dubai, with 7x weekly flights from Toronto and 4x weekly flights from Vancouver; this represents an increase of 4x weekly flights
  • Emirates will operate 7x weekly flights to Toronto from Dubai; this represents an increase of 2x weekly flights
  • Etihad will operate 7x weekly flights to Toronto from Abu Dhabi; this represents an increase of 1x weekly flights

As you can see, it’s unlikely Canadian airlines will reach the limit of what they’re allowed to fly to the UAE. That would likely only happen if Air Canada flew daily from Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, to Dubai.

Meanwhile I think it’s very likely that Emirates will shortly announce a new daily flight to Montreal, which would put the UAE airlines at their flight cap (this assumes Etihad doesn’t want in on the action).

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Air Canada add a Montreal to Dubai route several times per week. Keep in mind that Air Canada and Emirates don’t have a joint venture. So while they do have a partnership, they aren’t allowed to coordinate their schedules. In other words, the airlines can’t be secretly strategizing with their route additions.

I expect Emirates will launch a Dubai to Montreal route

Bottom line

As of late October 2023, Air Canada will be launching a new flight between Vancouver and Dubai. This follows an expanded partnership between Air Canada and Emirates, which no doubt makes this kind of service a lot more practical.

Emirates and Etihad have both also announced service increases to Toronto, and I suspect Emirates will shortly be announcing flights to Montreal. All of this additional capacity between Canada and the UAE is great for consumers, and should help lower fares.

What do you make of Air Canada’s Vancouver to Dubai flight?

Conversations (27)
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  1. Homira Guest

    Emirates always is the best and will remain number 1 in the world no one can compare EK with any other airline

  2. Desert Princess Guest

    With regards to the flight departure timing at YVR, it's definitely not ideal. Sure late flight are my cup of tea; however, when you're arriving at your destination at 11 PM - not the greatest for connection flights (leading to long connection times); also as Dubai is more of a tourist destination getting to your Hotel at around 12:00 AM would be a waste of paying for a hotel for the night as hotels aren't the cheapest. Everything in Dubai is excess.

  3. Jay Withanage Guest

    We want Emirates to YVR. Air Canada blocks Emirates coming to Vancouver for a long time. We do not want Dubai Flights from YVR by Air Canada!

  4. Hanif Guest

    What stops AC becoming a world class airline? !

    1. Peter Brown Guest

      Very little food variance and snippy Fracophone flight attendants.

  5. Ali Guest

    I would rather have Emirates Airlines from YVY to Dubai.

  6. Peter Brown Guest

    Air Canada is flying this route because Westjet is starting service from YYC to DXB 3 times a week. Who would think of travelling in any class of service on Westjet or Air Canada if they had choice.. I can't imagine there is demand for origin traffic in YVR or YYC. At least AC has a partnership with EK for award seats.

    1. Ann Guest

      Noone in their right mind would choose AC.

      But. This is about transit traffic in DXB connecting to India/Pak now that AC has lost YVR-DEL

    2. trideep Guest

      In my opinion AC won't have much advantage with DXB for India. AC currently has YUL & YYZ to DEL and LHR to BOM routes. The current loss of YVR-DEL route is not making any difference to AC because they're routing the traffic through YYZ, YUL, & LHR which are all one stop. AC tickets are quite expensive if compared with Qatar, Emirates, Etihad or even Turkish. I will not consider AC simply for their...

      In my opinion AC won't have much advantage with DXB for India. AC currently has YUL & YYZ to DEL and LHR to BOM routes. The current loss of YVR-DEL route is not making any difference to AC because they're routing the traffic through YYZ, YUL, & LHR which are all one stop. AC tickets are quite expensive if compared with Qatar, Emirates, Etihad or even Turkish. I will not consider AC simply for their soft and hard product.

      It is going to be a long route and I don't think that there will be big demand for the premium cabins. In my opinion, YVR DXB might not last for a very long time.

    3. Rickd Guest

      Not true at all. Westjet does not operate equipment that can fly that distance

  7. KAY Guest

    Can’t wait to try it!! This is exciting hopefully will be great success

  8. Bob Guest

    Horrible. Was hoping for EK not garbage Air Caanada. 16 hours in AC Y should be illegal, even in J on a constantly deflated seat.

    1. Azamaraal Diamond

      Have you ever experienced 16 hours in EK Y (or for that matter QR Y)?

      Both are awful so I cannot imagine that AC could possibly be any worse.

  9. CVW Guest

    Was hoping it would be Emirates to start this route and not Air Canada.

  10. Thenoflyzone Guest

    btw Ben,

    Your block times don't make sense. For one, eastbound will be quicker, not slower.

    Haven't double checked these, but from another forum, someone said YVR-DXB is 15 hours, the return is 15h55.

    (U.A.E doesn't do daylight savings time. Canada does)

  11. Stuart Guest

    I fully expected YVR service before YUL so this doesn't surprise me. By announcing this, AC essentially calling first dibs on the big Indian diaspora market in the greater Vancouver area.

    1. Thenoflyzone Guest

      Except EK will start YUL on July 5, well before AC’s YVR-DXB launch.

      Quite frankly, don’t know what they’re waiting for to officially annonce. Only 2.5 months left til the start of the route.

    2. Steve-O Guest

      Sounds like you got your info wrong. Maybe you should check with your contacts in EKAS ;)

    3. Azamaraal Diamond

      Sure. Lets fly YVR to DXB via YUL? Much better YVR-LHR-DXB.

  12. BC Guest

    Indian community in the Vancouver area will be the biggest beneficiaries. Can 1 stop connect via DXB across the subcontinent.

  13. Joremero Guest

    Eyeballing it, but Vancouver to Dubai going west instead of east... is it about the same distance?

    1. Joe Jones Guest

      Bypassing Russia and Ukraine via Europe adds about 300 miles. Bypassing Russia via Asia adds about 3,000 miles and would make the flight almost as long as EWR-SIN.

  14. Tim Dunn Diamond

    Air Canada cannot fly the great circle route as shown above due to Russia airspace restrictions while Emirates does not abide by those same restrictions

  15. VT-CIE Diamond

    A couple of errors.

    an increase or 4x weekly flights: *of* 4- weekly flights

    Emirates will operate 7x weekly flights to Vancouver from Dubai: it’s YYZ, not YVR (I wonder if EK will launch YVR; does it have the demand?)

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ VT-CIE -- Fixed, thank you! I'm sure Emirates would love to fly to Vancouver as well, though I strongly suspect that the priority is Montreal service. I'm sure we'll find out shortly.

    2. Sean Guest

      It’s already confirmed informally within the YUL airline community.

      Only reason why it hasn’t been announced publicly yet is the lack of a ground handler in YUL.

    3. Azamaraal Diamond

      I don't understand the logic of YUL. Prestige?

      YVR has a larger Asian community than Montreal by a long shot.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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Ann Guest

Noone in their right mind would choose AC. But. This is about transit traffic in DXB connecting to India/Pak now that AC has lost YVR-DEL

1
Bob Guest

Horrible. Was hoping for EK not garbage Air Caanada. 16 hours in AC Y should be illegal, even in J on a constantly deflated seat.

1
CVW Guest

Was hoping it would be Emirates to start this route and not Air Canada.

1
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