Air Canada returns to Africa this summer with three routes including scheduled service
It is always with the easing of travel restrictions that airlines retreat to international markets. Air Canada, which had suspended its African routes since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, is back with a boosted offer for the next summer season.
Air Canada is returning to Africa. In a recent press release, the carrier announced the re-launch of 34 new routes from next summer, including three to Algiers, Cairo and Casablanca.
From May 3, the Canadian operator will offer three flights per week between its Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau base and Cairo. The route will be operated without competition on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays by Boeing 787. Currently, Canada and Egypt are connected by EgyptAir which offers 5 weekly rotations between Cairo and Toronto.
As of May 4, the Montreal - Casablanca route will be reopened. It will be operated 3 times a week - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays - by Airbus A330-300 and will become regular throughout the year. The carrier will meet on this route Royal Air Maroc (RAM) which offers 6 weekly rotations between the two cities by Dreamliner.
As for the Montreal - Algiers route, it will start on June 8. Air Canada will offer three weekly rotations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Airbus A330-300. The Star Alliance carrier will compete on this route with Air Algérie, which resumed flights to the Canadian city last October and currently operates three weekly rotations to Montreal by A330-200.
The resumption comes "especially now that Omicron is behind us, countries are reopening and border measures are being eased worldwide for fully vaccinated travellers," says Air Canada. "We are pleased to expand our international network on four continents as we respond to pent-up demand. Our extensive and growing network has been built to conveniently increase connectivity to and from global destinations via our hubs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver," said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada.
