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UAE, Canada agree to increase flights to 21 per week for each country

Demand for air travel has bounced back strongly in the UAE and other major countries in the past two years

Published: Fri 7 Apr 2023, 11:14 AM

Updated: Fri 7 Apr 2023, 2:22 PM

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UAE and Canada have agreed to increase flights by 50 per cent in order to meet the growing demand for passenger traffic between the two countries.

Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport, said the expanded air transport agreement would allow 21 flights per week for each country, which is 50 per cent more flights than the maximum number previously possible.

Currently, Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways serve the Canadian network. The UAE carriers also tap passenger traffic between Canada and the Indian Subcontinent.

The UAE is Canada’s largest air transport market in the Middle East and the expanded agreement will facilitate new routes, and give airlines greater flexibility to accommodate changes in market demand.

Demand for air travel has bounced back strongly in the UAE and other major countries in the past two years which is broadly described as 'revenge travel' as the world reopened after the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 5, Airports Council International (ACI) ranked Dubai International (DXB) airport as the busiest airport for international passenger traffic for the ninth consecutive year in 2022.

Since UAE is a global aviation hub, the new agreement will allow Canadian airlines to tap the Asian region as a large number of people from the Indian Subcontinent now reside in Canada.

Transport Canada said the new rights under the expanded agreement are available for use by airlines immediately.

“This expansion of the Canada-UAE air transport agreement will improve Canada’s international connectivity and enhance people-to-people and commercial links. 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. This is good news for tourism and the creation of good middle-class jobs for Canadians,” said Alghabra.

Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of international trade, export promotion, small business and economic development, said this announcement will be a valuable contribution to helping Canadian companies grow and diversify their markets on the global stage, and contribute to greater economic and social development between the two countries.

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