MANILA, Philippines – Air Canada began direct flights between Manila and Vancouver on Thursday, April 3.

Its maiden flight from Vancouver with flight code AC17 arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 6:04 am on Thursday, April 3, and was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute.

Over 200 passengers were aboard the flight.

The Canadian flag carrier utilized its Boeing 787-9 aircraft with “Congratulations” livery for the maiden journey. It then returned to Vancouver late Thursday morning as the first AC18 flight.

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Air Canada will service its Manila-Vancouver route thrice a week in April, and four times a week beginning May.

Air Canada’s managing director of international sales Rocky Lo said the new route is part of the airline’s expansion in Southeast Asia.

“The Manila-Vancouver flight has solidified Air Canada’s position as the North American airline serving the most non-stop destinations in this region, supporting Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy,” he said.

Lo explained that the Philippines was previously the largest market that Air Canada did not offer direct flights to. He also cited the massive Filipino population in Canada as one of the reasons for offering the transpacific route.

Around 170,000 Filipino-Canadians live in the province of British Columbia alone. Filipinos are the third largest Asian community in Canada and the Philippines is the third largest source of Canada’s international students.

In a separate statement, Air Canada’s executive vice president for revenue and network planning Mark Galardo said the new route underscores ties between Manila and Ottawa and a shared commitment to easing travel between the two countries.

“With more than one million Filipinos living in Canada representing an important market, direct air services are a catalyst to facilitating tourism, trade and connectivity, and represent the fastest way of traveling to Manila,” he said.

He also highlighted Vancouver’s role as the “gateway” to North America, as passengers can then connect to other Canadian cities and the United States.

“If you’re flying from Asia or Southeast Asia to anywhere in North America, in many instances, the flight path will naturally fly over Vancouver. So Vancouver is a perfect gateway to connect within the North America region,” he explained.

Hon Lam, Air Canada’s regional general manager for Hong Kong, Southern China and Southeast Asia, said the airline hopes to promote the Philippines and Canada as tourist destinations.

According to Lam, Air Canada currently has an interlining agreement with Philippine Airlines to connect its passengers to other Philippine destinations.

“So whilst people are there (Canada), we would love them to explore the nature and the beauty of the countryside, the food and the hospitality of the people as well,” Lam said.

The new route was unveiled in December 2024, when Canada brought its biggest trade delegation to Manila.

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Apart from Air Canada, Philippine Airlines is the only other airline that offers direct flights between Manila and Canada. The Philippine flag carrier offers direct flights to Vancouver and Toronto. – Rappler.com