Dubai flights: More options for Canada travellers as Emirates begins direct Montreal service

Dubai's flagship airline Emirates has officially arrived in Canada's second-largest city, Montréal — marking the start of its scheduled services to the culture capital of Québec.

The inaugural flight was operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, which will offer premium passenger services on its daily services to the city. Emirates now serves Canada with 14 flights per week.

Flight EK243 arrived at Montréal Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport at 8.30am local time on July 5 and was greeted by a procession of follow-me vehicles to the gate.

Airport officials and representatives from the aviation authorities were present to witness the touchdown, which also drew interest from aviation fans and media excited to capture the inaugural flight’s landing in Québec.

On arrival, the VIP delegation travelling from Dubai were welcomed by Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ Divisional Vice President – USA and Canada and Shaz Peshimam, Emirates’ Country Manager for Canada.

Following a welcome ceremony and symbolic gift exchange between the airline, airport officials, and Montréal’s tourism board, Emirates showcased its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration to government representatives, media, guests and members of the travel trade industry.

The aircraft features eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class for the daily service.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, emphasised the significance of the new destination, and said: "Emirates is excited to launch our service to Montréal, and to grow our network with a second gateway into Canada. We take this opportunity to thank the UAE and Canadian authorities and partners for supporting the launch of the service, which is expected to positively impact tourism, business and trade in both countries.

"Complementing our services to Toronto, customers will now have more choices when planning trips to Canada – they now can fly directly to the country’s second-largest metropolis whether for business, leisure, education or for visiting family and friends."

Since the plan to launch direct services to Montréal was announced, the airline saw a good volume of bookings from travellers looking to fly to Canada from points in the UAE, India, Iran and Lebanon — in addition to many Far East and African countries.

"The strong demand is testament to the quality of our product and travel experience we provide. We look forward to welcoming our customers onboard to experience our 'fly better' proposition across all classes," Kazim said.

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The destination is a favourite amongst foodies and is known for the culinary delights it has to offer, from the iconic Montréal bagels that rival New York, to low-to-high-end restaurants serving cuisine from around the world. The famous poutine – a classic French-Canadian dish of fries, gravy and cheese curds – is also not to be missed.