It has been an important day for Canadian carriers. Air Canada conducted its inaugural flight from Toronto to Doha. Meanwhile, WestJet shared that it is ramping up its services to the Caribbean, the United States, Mexico, and Central America from the start of next year.
Middle Eastern foundations
According to a press release seen by Simple Flying, Air Canada’s Doha launch means that Hamad International is the only airport in the Middle East to have a scheduled service from a North American airline.
The direct flights will leave three times a week from Toronto Pearson. Air Canada highlights that the operations will allow for useful connections across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.
Qatar Airways, which recently announced a codeshare agreement with Air Canada, is equally excited about the move. The initial flight was welcomed with a water cannon salute as it touched down. Moreover, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Canada’s ambassador to Qatar, Stefanie McCollum, and Hamad International’s chief operating officer, Badr Mohammed Al Meer. Notably, Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker was also at the scene.
Al Baker shared the following about Air Canada’s operations:
“Canada is a strategically important market for Qatar Airways, and this service will complement our existing four weekly service to Montreal and provide our travellers with additional options when planning travel to and from Canada. We look forward to harnessing our complementary strengths to increase choices for our thousands of passengers and enable smooth connectivity to a significant number of new destinations – particularly throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East.”
Providing some sun
As Air Canada expands towards the east, WestJet is scaling up its southbound operations. It is adding flights to Liberia, Costa Rica and Ixtapa/Zihuantanejo, Mexico from Calgary next month. It is also resuming trips between Kona, Hawaii and Vancouver, along with flights between Aruba and Toronto.
The 787 will be seen in the skies between Calgary and Cancun from January 8th. Then from January 23rd, operations to Puerto Vallarta will begin.
WestJet chief commercial office Arved von zur Muehlen said the following about his company’s services:
“WestJet continues to welcome the introduction of new COVID-19 testing programs and pilots to ensure that our guests can confidently and safely travel abroad, With new destinations and the introduction of our Dreamliner service to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, guests can book with additional peace of mind knowing our flexible change and cancel policies remain in place for the new year.”
Looking for a new start
Altogether, as 2021 approaches, Canadian carriers will hope that these expansions will help in the recovery mission following such a challenging year. Both airlines will be seeking better fortunes in 2021.
What are your thoughts about the services of these Canadian carriers? Are you looking to fly with one of these airlines soon? Let us know what you think of their operations in the comment section.
