For decades, aviation’s primary focus has been ferrying passengers along transatlantic routes. But according to industry watchers, the massive shift towards the Middle East and the rise of the Asia Pacific region will see the latter surpass North America and Europe in passenger traffic in the near future.
It’s against this global axis that Air Canada has announced a strategic alliance with Emirates Airlines.
With Dubai as its hub, Emirates is one of the world's truly international carriers, with flights to more than 130 cities on six continents.
Access to Emirates network via DXB gives Air Canada a huge opportunity to expand its own.
The two carriers intend to establish a codeshare in the latter half of 2022, allowing Canadian originating passengers to fly beyond Dubai on a single ticket. Both carriers will have access to each other’s networks, with seamless connectivity at their respective hubs and baggage transfers to their final destinations.
To help further enhance the customer experience, the carriers say they will also establish reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and reciprocal lounge access for qualifying customers. Further details of the partnership and specific codeshare routes will be announced when finalized and will be subject to regulatory approvals and final documentation.
"As we continue pursuing our strategy of expanding our global reach in response to growing opportunities in VFR markets (Visiting Friends and Relatives) that serve Canada's large multicultural communities, we are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with Emirates, a highly respected flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates with a hub in the vibrant city of Dubai. This strategic agreement will create network synergies, and Air Canada customers will have additional, convenient options when travelling between Canada and the United Arab Emirates as well as destinations beyond Dubai" said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada.
"We look forward to introducing Air Canada codeshare service on key Emirates flights, as well as adding the EK code on select Air Canada flights, and welcoming Emirates customers on our services later this year."
Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said: "This is a significant partnership that will enable our customers access to even more destinations in Canada and the Americas, via our Toronto and US gateways. It also opens up many new route combinations for travelers across Emirates' and Air Canada's extensive networks in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We are pleased to partner with Air Canada, one of North America's most established airlines and Canada's flag carrier and we look forward to jointly progressing on various areas to provide even better customer flight choices and experiences."
For more information, visit the respective web sites for Air Canada and Emirates.
