OTTAWA: Air Canada unveiled four new international routes it will start next year, including its first-ever service to Africa.
All four routes will be operated by leisure subsidiary Air Canada rouge on a seasonal basis using 280-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Three of the routes will be from Toronto Pearson International Airport, which Air Canada is planning to increasingly market as an international transit hub. The fourth route will be Montreal-Casablanca; the Moroccan city will be Air Canada’s first destination in Africa.
The new routes are part of Air Canada’s strategy to build a robust international network—with Toronto Pearson as the primary hub—using both mainline Air Canada aircraft and rouge aircraft. The Montreal-based Star Alliance member noted that since 2009 it has increased system-wide international seats flown by approximately 50%.
From May 29, 2016, rouge will launch 3X-weekly seasonal Toronto-Prague flights. The service will last until Sept. 29. From June 3, rouge will start 4X-weekly Montreal-Casablanca flights. The service is set to end Oct. 17, but Air Canada president-passenger airlines Ben Smith said the route is expected to “eventually” be converted to a year-round route.
From June 10, rouge will launch 3X-weekly Toronto-Budapest flights that will be operated through Oct. 15. From June 13, rouge will start 3X-weekly Toronto-Glasgow service that will be operated through Sept. 25.
