Kumusta! Air Canada to Launch New, Non-Stop Service between Vancouver and Manila

The Voice of Chandigarh :

Air Canada announced the strategic expansion of its international network with the addition of non-stop flights between its Pacific hub at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in the Philippines*. The announcement was made during the Government of Canada’s Team Canada Trade Mission currently in the Philippines, celebrating 75 years of Canada-Philippines diplomatic relations. This new service to Manila is Air Canada’s third South-East Asia destination launched in the last two years.

“We are thrilled to add Manila to our global network with new, year-round, non-stop service from Vancouver, Air Canada’s Pacific gateway hub. We continue to pursue our international network strategy of expanding to large, fast-growing markets that are presently unserved directly by Air Canada. The Philippines is an important market reflecting longstanding family ties between our two countries with growing business connections and tourism opportunities. With an extensive domestic and transborder network in Vancouver designed to connect seamlessly to our international flights, we are making travel between North America and the Philippines even more convenient for leisure and business travellers alike. It is with great excitement that we look forward to welcoming our customers onboard next spring,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning, and President, Cargo at Air Canada.

Air Canada is the only Canadian carrier scheduled to serve the Philippines, presently the largest market in Asia without direct Air Canada service. The new route will operate four times weekly beginning April 2, 2025, using the airline’s flagship Dreamliner aircraft. It will be Air Canada’s 12th route in its transpacific network from Vancouver, which includes Japan, South Korea, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, leveraging Vancouver’s geographic position as the closest major North American city to Asia. With this new service, next summer Air Canada will offer over 180 weekly flights between Canada and the Pacific, the most non-stop flights of any carrier in the market. This marks a continuation of Air Canada’s expansion into fast-growing markets into Southeast Asia, building off recent additions to Singapore and Bangkok, to more than double summer season seat capacity over the Pacific since 2022.

Flights from Canada to Manila can be purchased starting today on aircanada.com, through Air Canada’s contact centres, and via travel agents. Flights for bookings originating in Manila to Canada will be available for sale shortly.

Manila Flight Schedule**

Flights will be operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft featuring three cabins of service for customers to choose from, including Signature Class with lie-flat seats, Premium Economy and Economy Class. Air Canada’s complimentary and extensive in-flight entertainment programming features more than 1,400 hours of movies, 1,900 hours of television shows and more than 600 hours of music and podcasts and where available, live tv is available at every seat. The award-winning IFE features collaborations with Apple TV+, Audible, Disney+, Hayu, and others, bringing hours of movies, tv episodes, specialty channels, music albums, other video and audio content and games in multiple languages from boarding to landing.

Eligible customers will have access to the Vancouver Air Canada Signature Suite, offering a la carte dining and premium beverage options within a relaxed airport enclave, as well as the Air Canada International Maple Leaf Lounge. For inbound customers connecting internationally, Vancouver also has in-transit customs pre-clearance to simplify the transit through YVR. The new route has also been designed to allow customers to conveniently connect to and from more than 50 destinations across North America via Air Canada’s hub at YVR.