Air Canada plans non-stop service between Beijing and Toronto
Canadian Press
Sunday, January 23, 2005
MONTREAL (CP) - Air Canada announced plans Wednesday to offer a non-stop flight from Toronto to Beijing and beef up its service between Vancouver and Shanghai.
The airline said it will fly four non-stop flights a week from Toronto to the Chinese capital starting in June. "China is the fastest growing aviation market in the world, and Air Canada's global network is well positioned to meet the needs of international travellers and freight forwarders," Air Canada said.
In addition to the flight from Toronto, the airline said Wednesday it will replace its 189-seat Boeing 767-300ER with a larger 282-seat Airbus A340-300 during the peak demand season this summer.
Since emerging from creditor protection last fall, Air Canada has announced a series of new international flights to Latin America and Asia.
Robert Milton, CEO of ACE Aviation Holdings, the holding company created as part of Air Canada's restructuring, has said the airline would look to expand its international operations including "niche markets" such as Tehran and Beirut.
The airline cut roughly $2 billion in annual operating costs as part of its renewal that saw Air Canada become a leaner and more efficient operation.
Milton said the cost reductions have opened up new possibilities for the airline to return to destinations that would have been unprofitable before the restructuring.
The Toronto-Beijing flight will take 13 hours 20 minutes westbound and 13 hours eastbound, Air Canada estimates.
The world's longest nonstop commercial flight is flown by Singapore Airlines between Southeast Asian city-state and New York. The 16,600-kilometre trip takes 18 hours.
ACE class-B shares (TSX:ACE.B) closed up 40 cents at $36.40 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, while the airline's restricted voting shares (TSX:RV) were up 35 cents at $36.35.
© The Canadian Press 2005
Air Canada plans non-stop service between Beijing and Toront
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