Emirates takes off with non-stop flights from Dubai to Montreal

Quebec’s largest city is only the second destination in Canada to receive direct flights from the UAE

Emirates now flies direct to Montreal. Sara Winter / Alamay

Emirates operated its inaugural non-stop flight from Dubai to Montreal on Wednesday morning.

Flight EK 243 departed from Dubai International's Terminal 3 at 3.45am, scheduled to land in Montreal 13.5 hours later.

The aircraft was carrying senior members of the Emirates team, including Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer, and Salem Obaidalla, senior vice president of commercial operations for the Americas.

Montreal is Emirates’s second destination in Canada, after Toronto, to which the airline has been flying for 16 years. It’s also only the second city in the North American country to receive direct flights with Emirates.

The Boeing 777-300 aircraft servicing the route will have first class, business class and economy class cabins, with capacity for up to 354 passengers.

Emirates will operate a daily schedule to Montreal, a city renowned for its thriving arts and culture scene.

Return services from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will depart Canada just after 10am and land in the UAE at 6.30am the following day.

Launched during the busy summer travel period, the new route gives holidaymakers flying to and from Canada more choice for travel from the UAE.

“This inaugural flight between Dubai and Montreal marks a momentous occasion, connecting two vibrant cities across continents,” Kris Panday, Canada’s ambassador to the UAE, said before the flight left on Wednesday morning.

“Direct flights allow for direct links between people and cultures. Montreal and Dubai have a lot to offer each other in terms of tourism and business opportunities.”

Home to the world’s largest jazz festival and the Canadian host for the Formula One Grand Prix, Montreal is a city with strong European vibes – French is its first language – and a thriving arts scene.

“Montreal is a city with tremendous history, with great culture, great nightlife and a real focus on food. It's a really exciting place,” Panday tells The National.

Air travel between Canada and the UAE is improving after both destinations signed an agreement to boost bilateral services.

“Since the signing of the expanded Air Transport Agreement in April, there have been a number of announcements of plans to expand air links between the UAE and Canada,” Panday says.

“But this flight is the first new route that has opened up as a result.”

In April, Emirates said it was adding daily A380 superjumbo flights to Toronto and Etihad has also increased flights between Abu Dhabi and the same city.

Air Canada is also set to begin flights from Vancouver to Dubai in October.

Canada is one of Dubai’s top 20 source markets for inbound tourism. The emirate welcomed 158,000 Canadian visitors last year, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and more than 40,000 Canadians live and work in the UAE.