• The only year-round, non-stop flights between Canada and the capital city of Queensland, a major business hub and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Australia's Gold Coast,
• Complements Air Canada's year-round, daily non-stop flights to Sydney, Australia.

VANCOUVER, July 8, 2015 /CNW/ - Air Canada today announced the addition of new non-stop flights from Vancouver to Brisbane, Australia.  Flights to Brisbane will initially operate three times weekly using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners beginning June 17, 2016, with the intention to increase to daily service, subject to obtaining the necessary government approvals.

"Air Canada continues to strategically expand its international network with the addition of our second Australian destination - Brisbane, capital of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. The new route increases our presence in the Asia-Pacific market at a time when trade and travel in the region and between North America is growing, with a further boost expected from the Trans-Pacific Partnership now under negotiation. Already, Air Canada commits $2 billion worth of aircraft to the Pacific market each day and Brisbane is the third new Pacific route we have announced in the past year, after Toronto-Tokyo Haneda and Vancouver-Osaka," said Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada President and CEO, who is participating today in the 2015 Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum in Vancouver.

"We will be offering the only non-stop, year-round flights from Canada to Brisbane, a financial hub as well as a tourism gateway to Australia's Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef, using our Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The operating economics of the Dreamliner together with the efforts of the Vancouver Airport Authority who have maintained airport operating costs at levels among the lowest in Canada, have enabled us to grow our Vancouver hub," concluded Mr. Rovinescu.

Air Canada looks forward to working with the Queensland Government, tourism partners from both countries and Brisbane Airport to promote the new route.

Queensland Government Minister for Tourism and Major Events Kate Jones welcomed the new flights, stating, "The Air Canada service represents the first direct flight between Queensland and Canada, and is expected to inject up to $24 million in visitor expenditure for Queensland's economy per year and attract an extra 12,000 international visitors to Queensland each year. The service is supported under the Queensland Government's Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), and will help entice more North American travellers to visit Queensland. The new direct route better connects the state with the growing North American visitor market, which recorded a 9% growth in visitation in the year ending December 2014. Growing aviation services to Queensland helps support the state's tourism economy and creates jobs."

Julieanne Alroe, Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO and Managing Director, said attracting international airlines to new destinations is hugely competitive and the airport is thrilled to welcome Air Canada, one of North America's leading airlines, to Queensland.

"We've been in negotiations for the past two years working in partnership with Air Canada, Vancouver Airport, Tourism and Events Queensland and Tourism Australia and the announcement of this new direct service between Brisbane and Vancouver is an achievement worth celebrating.  We look forward to working with Air Canada to make this service a success," she said.

Tickets for Air Canada's new Brisbane flights will be available for purchase starting July 16, 2015. Flights begin June 17, 2016, operating three times weekly with the carrier's state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 20 International Business Class lie-flat seat suites, 21 Premium Economy and 210 Economy Class seats featuring upgraded in-flight entertainment at every seat throughout the aircraft. Flights are timed to optimize connectivity to and from Air Canada's extensive North American network through the airline's Vancouver hub, while also offering in Brisbane, excellent connectivity across Australia. All Air Canada flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.

This year to date, Air Canada has launched new international services from Montreal-Venice, Montreal-Mexico City, Toronto-Amsterdam, Vancouver-Osaka, with Toronto-Dubai and Toronto-Delhi launching this fall.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 190 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2014 served more than 38 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 Canadian cities, 52 destinations in the United States and 78 cities in Europe, the Middle East, 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 1,321 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. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

SOURCE Air Canada