Air Canada Inaugurates Montreal-Bucharest Flights

Only North American Airline to Operate flights to Romania

MONTREAL, June 8, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - The arrival of Air Canada flight 1928 at Bucharest's Henri Coandă International Airport marks the launch of twice weekly Air Canada Rouge seasonal service to Bucharest, Romania. Flights will be operated with Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER aircraft featuring Premium Rouge and Economy class service and are timed to optimize connectivity from across Air Canada's network through Air Canada's Montreal hub.

"As the only North American airline flying to Romania, the largest European market without trans-Atlantic flights, we are extremely proud to launch our first Montreal-Bucharest flight, strengthening even further Air Canada's presence in Southeastern Europe," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "Air Canada's on-going commitment to grow Montreal as an important hub in our global network provides customers greater choice, as well as the ability to conveniently connect onward through our extensive North American and International network."

"I welcome Air Canada's initiative to create this direct air link between Montreal and Bucharest. The creation of all these new direct international routes from Montreal allows us to open up our economy to the world and contributes to the flow of talent and investment. We must continue to develop close ties between our cities as well as encourage bilateral exchanges, be they business, personal, cultural, academic or tourist," said Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante.

"Starting Today, Canada and Romania are three hours closer. This new link will make it easier for investors and tourists from both Romania and Canada to travel either for business or leisure. It also brings closer families and friends of the large Canadian-Romanian community in the Montreal area. I wish Air Canada every success with its new direct service to Bucharest," said Adrian Ligor, Chargé d'Affaires at the Romanian Embassy in Canada.

"With the addition of Bucharest to its long list of destinations already offered from Montréal-Trudeau, Air Canada is once again improving our air service and confirming our status as the most international airport in the country," said Aéroport de Montréal President and Chief Executive Officer Philippe Rainville. "This new link is excellent news for the Romanian community of Montréal, for travellers eager to discover the charms of this city rich in history, and for the business community. A new door to the world has just opened for them, and we are very proud of it!" said Philippe Rainville, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADM.

"The Montreal-Bucharest flight is the first direct air link between North America and Romania. It paves the way for the deepening of bilateral trade between Romania and Canada, be it commercial, personal, cultural or tourist. This is very good news for the Romanian business community in Quebec, which in recent years has seen some of the most dynamic growth in Canada. I congratulate Air Canada and Aéroports de Montréal for their initiative and efforts to put this service in place. Air Canada can count on our support to help make this new direct air link a success", said Mrs. Adina Georgescu, President of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce of Quebec.

All flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access at the Montreal hub, priority boarding and other benefits.

In 2018, Air Canada is launching ten new destinations from Montreal: London, Windsor, Victoria (Canada); Tokyo-Narita, (Japan); Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Baltimore (U.S.); Dublin (Ireland); Lisbon (Portugal) and Bucharest (Romania).

Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and its regional airline partners flying under the Air Canada Express banner operate on average approximately 2,400 flights per week between Montreal and 97 destinations: 26 in Canada, including 9 in Quebec, 23 in the United States, 26 in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, 16 in Europe, one in China, two in North Africa, one in the Middle East, one in South America and starting in June 2018 one in Japan (Tokyo).

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 220 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2017 served more than 48 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 59 in the United States and 98 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,317 airports in 193 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2017 Best Airline in North America. Air Canada was also named the 2018 Eco-Airline of the Year by the respected airline industry publication Air Transport World for its commitment to emissions reductions. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.  

Internet: aircanada.com

SOURCE Air Canada