Increased service follows expanded UAE-Canada air agreement and growing demand
Etihad has become the latest UAE-based airline to offer an increased service to Toronto following its recently expanded air services agreement with Canada.
Starting on 30 May 2023, Etihad Airways will introduce an additional weekly flight between Abu Dhabi and Toronto, on top of its current six-per-week flight schedule, to offer travellers a daily connection.
Arik De, chief revenue officer at Etihad Airways said: "Our daily service will provide business and leisure travellers, the Canadian diaspora and the large body of students from the UAE enrolled in Canada’s world-class universities with a convenient flight option every day of the week.”
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De added that the 14-hour direct flight to Toronto has been one of Etihad’s busiest routes in 2023. He attributes this to the rapid post-pandemic recovery and the continued growth in travel demand between Canada and the UAE, which is home to more than 40,000 Canadian expatriates.
Etihad began serving Toronto in October 2005 and the route has grown increasingly popular. The carrier has an interline agreement with WestJet and a codeshare with Air Canada that allows guests to benefit from connections via Toronto to more than 15 destinations.
Emirates recently announced that its service Dubai-to-Toronto service would become daily from 20 April 2023, offering a 40% rise in capacity and 2,000 extra seats per week on the A380 route, due to what it calls increasing demand.