The launch of services to Montreal comes as the UAE and Canada aim to deepen economic cooperation between the two nations and stimulate benefits to the aviation and tourism sectors, in addition to enhancing trade flows and commercial links. With the new daily flights, travellers will now have more choice when flying to Canada, and are able to fly direct from Dubai to Canada’s two largest metropolitan hubs.

Passengers from Montreal can enjoy the airline’s award-winning services to and through Dubai, and connect safely, seamlessly and efficiently to Emirates’ global network of over 130 destinations in over 70 countries and territories. The daily flights between Dubai and Montreal will operate as EK243/244 with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, offering a premium travel experience across its cabins. Passengers can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning travel experience aboard its wide-body aircraft with 8 First Class suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 304 seats in Economy Class. 

In Vietnam, Emirates currently operates daily flights from the capital city of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Dubai, facilitating convenient connections for passengers to Canada as well as other destinations in Americas, Europe, and Africa. Tickets to Montreal go on sale today for flights starting 5 July and can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via travel agents.

The flights will operate with timings as follows (all times are local):

“Emirates is excited to launch our second gateway into Canada as we expand our reach in the country with direct services from our hub in Dubai. As a major metropolitan centre and as Canada’s second largest city, we are pleased to add Montreal to our growing global network of over 130 destinations and strengthening our coverage in the Americas to reach 18 points served by our services from Dubai, said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer.

“We have been serving customers with passenger and cargo services to Toronto for over 15 years and when we begin services to Montreal in July, customers will have more choice when planning their travel whether for business, leisure, education or for visiting family and friends. We would like to thank the UAE and Canadian authorities and airport stakeholders for the enhanced agreements which have made this new destination possible. With our expanded reach into the country, we look forward to facilitating new trade lanes, which will bring a host of benefits to Canadian businesses and exporters in addition to promoting tourism into more cities and generating more jobs across all sectors, including those directly serving the aviation industry,” continued Kazim.

Emirates Network and Air Canada partnership

Customers of Emirates and Air Canada have access to an expansive network of destinations thanks to the codeshare partnership between the two airlines. In addition to over 130 destinations that Emirates flies to, its customers currently have access to 19 Canadian destinations beyond Toronto through the partnership, while Air Canada customers are able to fly on Emirates to Dubai and access 17 cities in Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Far East. Additionally, Emirates passengers are able to choose from over 140 routes operated by Air Canada on an interline basis, including 27 points in Canada and 94 routes between Canada and the US and South America.

Through an enhanced interline arrangement between both airlines, Emirates passengers are now able to choose from 68 points from Montreal, including the US, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, while also enjoying conveniences such as the simplicity of flight itineraries on a single-ticket and smooth connections. Most popular domestic points in Canada via Montreal include Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Halifax. 

Emirates Skywards members can earn Miles on all eligible Air Canada flights and can redeem Miles for reward tickets across Air Canada’s network.

Travelling to Emirates’ latest destination, Montreal

Located on an island in between the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa River, Montreal is the second largest city in Canada and the capital city of Quebec. Also known as the capital of French Canada and the nation’s culture capital, the city is famous for its festivals and vibrant food and arts culture, while also being an important centre of commerce, tourism, and design and business hub for industries including aerospace, transport, finance, pharmaceuticals and technology, to name a few. In addition to its appeal to visitors for its unique geographical location, Montreal is also home to some of the world’s top-ranked universities, earning the city a reputation as a student-friendly and world-class study destination sought by international students.

The flight timings from Montreal will offer Canadian travellers convenient access to major leisure destinations beyond Dubai such as Thailand, Lebanon, India, Bali and French-speaking Indian Ocean destinations such as Seychelles, amongst others. The new service also opens a new route for convenient inbound connections to Montreal for a mix of leisure and corporate travellers and visiting family and friends from Dubai, India, Lebanon and Singapore, other South East Asian and African countries, in addition to international students pursuing higher education in the country.

Emirates has been operating to Toronto since 2007 and its flagship A380 service on the Dubai-Toronto route since 2009. From 20 April, Emirates will be serving Toronto with a daily A380 service. With the addition of Montreal to its expansive network, the airline will provide a choice of two points for travellers planning trips to Canada. This will also grow Emirates’ network across the Americas to two points in Canada, 12 U.S. cities, and four destinations across Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

To support the movement of commodities and goods around the world, Emirates provides cargo services to Canada with a capacity to carry 20 tonnes in the bellyhold of its Boeing 777 passenger aircraft and up to 15 tonnes aboard its A380 aircraft.

Whether traveling to or through Dubai, travellers can enjoy sun-soaked beaches, heritage activities, world class hospitality and leisure facilities, and a variety of world-class experiences.

Trade between UAE and Canada

The UAE is Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2022, bilateral trade between Canada and the UAE exceeded C$2.6 billion, growing 53% over the last five years. According to Statistics Canada, it is estimated that Emirati investments in Canada were in excess of C$1.3 billion in 2021.

Canada features in Dubai’s top 20 source markets for inbound tourism with 158,000 Canadian visitors in 2022, more than double the number in 2021 (Source: Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism).