Emirates to expand global network with launch of services to Montréal in July

Emirates has announced the launch of a new daily service from Dubai to Montréal, starting from 5 July. This will be Emirates’ second gateway in Canada, complementing its existing passenger services to Toronto, which have been operating since 2007.

This move comes as the UAE and Canada aim to deepen economic cooperation and stimulate benefits in the aviation and tourism sectors, as well as enhancing trade flows and commercial links between the two nations. The new daily flights to Montréal will cater to the significant demand for direct flights between Dubai and Canada, especially to its two largest metropolitan hubs, and provide more travel options for passengers.

Passengers flying from Montréal can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning services to and through Dubai, and connect safely, seamlessly, and efficiently to Emirates’ global network of over 130 destinations in more than 70 countries and territories. The daily flights between Dubai and Montréal will operate as EK243/244 with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, offering a premium travel experience across all cabins.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said, “Emirates is excited to launch our second gateway into Canada as we expand our reach in the country with direct services from our hub in Dubai. As a major metropolitan center and Canada’s second-largest city, we are pleased to add Montréal to our growing global network of over 130 destinations and strengthening our coverage in the Americas to reach 18 points served by our services from Dubai.”

“We have been serving customers with passenger and cargo services to Toronto for over 15 years, and when we begin services to Montréal in July, customers will have more choice when planning their travel whether for business, leisure, education, or for visiting family and friends. We would like to thank the UAE and Canadian authorities for the enhanced agreements which have made this new destination possible. With our expanded reach into the country, we look forward to facilitating new trade lanes, which will bring a host of benefits to Canadian businesses and exporters in addition to promoting tourism into more cities and generating more jobs across all sectors, including those directly serving the aviation industry,” continued Kazim.

Emirates and Air Canada have a codeshare partnership that allows customers to access an extensive network of destinations. In addition to over 130 destinations that Emirates flies to, its customers currently have access to 19 Canadian destinations beyond Toronto through the partnership, while Air Canada customers are able to fly on Emirates to Dubai and access 17 cities in Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Far East. Emirates passengers can also choose from over 140 routes operated by Air Canada on an interline basis, including 27 points in Canada and 94 routes between Canada and the US and South America.

Through an enhanced interline arrangement between both airlines, Emirates passengers can now choose from 68 points from Montréal, including the US, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean, while also enjoying conveniences such as the simplicity of flight itineraries on a single ticket and smooth connections. The most popular domestic points in Canada via Montréal include Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Halifax.

The UAE is Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2022, bilateral trade between Canada and the UAE exceeded C$2.6 billion, growing 53% over the last five years. According to Statistics Canada, it is estimated the UAE’s foreign direct investments stock in Canada was valued at C$1.3 billion in 2021.

Canada features in Dubai’s top 20 source markets for inbound tourism, with 158,000 Canadian visitors in 2022, more than double the number in 2021, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy.

WAM