China-Canada direct flights to ‘surge’ to meet demand as talks yield results

Airlines from China and Canada began adding back regular direct flights this week, connecting Toronto and Vancouver with four Chinese cities following a deal between aviation regulators that is expected to ease demand. At least five airlines would increase their frequencies within the next two months, the Chinese aviation regulator has said via state-backed media outlets since October 30, connecting two of Canada’s major cities with Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Hainan Airlines led the resumption on Sunday, with a flight taking off from Toronto en route to Beijing. Air Canada, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are expected to follow suit. The “surge” in direct flights would smooth exchanges of people, plus business travel, while encouraging a recovery in the respective air transport markets, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency on October 30. Montreal-based Air Canada said it would increase the frequency of its round-trip flights between Vancouver and Shanghai from four to seven per week starting from December 7. The airline would also resume daily flights between Vancouver and Beijing from January 15. Adding back flights reflects the “importance of these markets in Air Canada’s global network”, the carrier’s revenue and network planning, said vice-president Mark Galardo. The resumptions followed “many rounds of negotiations” between the countries’ civil aviation authorities, Xinhua added. “As a result of this positive engagement, Canadian and Chinese carriers are now permitted to incrementally operate a limited increased level of service between the two countries that is in line with passenger demand,” Laurel Rasmus, consul and programme manager with the Canadian Consulate General in Hong Kong, said on Wednesday.<br/>