Emirates to fly daily superjumbo A380 services to Toronto

UAE and Canada agreement clears runway for more flights between countries

Emirates has been flying double-decker planes to the city since 2009. Photo: Emirates

Emirates will begin daily flights between Dubai and Toronto this month.

The Dubai airline is adding two additional flights per week from April 20 on the popular route, operated via Emirates' flagship A380 superjumbos.

The move is designed to satisfy travel demand and comes after the signing of an agreement between the UAE and Canada on Wednesday, when the two countries moved to improve bilateral relations and allow more flights between the destinations.

With an additional two A380 flights per week, Emirates is adding almost 2,000 weekly seats on its only route to Canada. The updated flight schedule means the airline will operate more than 6,800 seats per week to Toronto Pearson International Airport, a destination it has been flying to for more than 15 years.

Flights between Canada and the UAE are restricted as the two countries do not have an Open Skies Agreement. This prevents unlimited flights between the destinations, with the number of services based on negotiations.

“Emirates welcomes the expansion of the air services agreement between the UAE and Canada. We would like to thank all stakeholders and authorities who were involved in this pivotal agreement that will provide a boost to the aviation and tourism sectors in both countries,” said Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer at Emirates.

“We have been serving customers between Toronto and Dubai since 2007, and although the double-decker A380 aircraft has been operating the route since 2009, demand arising from leisure and corporate travellers, diaspora and students has consistently outstripped the allocated capacity.”

The decision is the latest move to strengthen ties between the two destinations. Last year, Emirates and Air Canada signed a codeshare deal covering 46 destinations across North America, the Middle East, Africa, South-East Asia and India.

This allows travellers flying with either airline to easily connect to more destinations. Top connections for passengers flying Emirates beyond Toronto include Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton.

“This expansion of the Canada-UAE air transport agreement will improve Canada’s international connectivity and enhance people-to-people and commercial links,” said Omar Alghabra, Canada’s minister of transport. "As we continue to support the recovery of the Canadian air industry, we are pleased that this expanded agreement will benefit a larger number of Canadian travellers, industry stakeholders and workers in Canada’s air sector."