Abu Dhabi’s Etihad to increase services to Toronto

Abu Dhabi airline Etihad Airways will increase its flights to Canada’s largest city, Toronto, from three to five weekly services from October 28.

The flights will be operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, featuring 40 seats in business class and 340 in economy class.

They will operate every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

EY141 will depart Abu Dhabi at 10.05am, arriving in Toronto at 4.30pm. The return flight EY140 will depart from the Canadian city at 10.55pm, arriving in the UAE capital at 7.40pm the next day.

The announcement comes after the UAE and Canada held discussions in June to increase the number of direct flights between the two countries.

Canada had previously refused to grant more landing rights to UAE airlines, mainly to reduce competition for national carrier Air Canada.

Etihad inaugurated services to Toronto in October 2005, and since then the route has “proved very successful for the airline, recording consistently strong demand to and from both cities”, Etihad said in a statement.

Robin Kamark, chief commercial officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “We are thrilled to announce more flights to cosmopolitan Toronto, one of the most successful and popular destinations on our global route network. This news has been eagerly anticipated.

“We have welcomed well over a million guests on our flights to Toronto since we launched the service almost 13 years ago. The UAE is also Canada’s largest export market in the MENA region, so the extra services are a boost for trade to and from the area and beyond.”

Approximately 45,000 Canadian citizens reside in the UAE, with over 150 Canadian companies registered across the country.

Citizens of both countries have visa-free entry for business and tourism on stays of up to six months.

Also read: Canada announces visa waiver for UAE citizens

Etihad also has a codeshare partnership in place with Air Canada, with the Canadian flag carrier placing its ‘AC’ code on Etihad services from Toronto to Abu Dhabi and from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi.

Under the agreement, Etihad places its ‘EY’ code on Air Canada’s multiple domestic daily services from Toronto to Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, St.Johns, Halifax, Regina, and Fort McMurray.

The additional frequencies will also boost cargo capacity on the route by up to 60 per cent, the statement added.