Air Canada Spreading Its Wings Far & Wide

with Suzanne Christie

There was a time
when the launch of one new route was cause for celebration. Air Canada's line
up of spring service launches includes 10 new routes – from Amsterdam to Osaka.

The impressive
product escalation calls for an imposing event, and what better location than
Toronto's own castle, Casa Loma, where Air Canada recently hosted retail,
corporate, tour operator and tourist board partners for its spring inaugural
celebrations.

Chief among the
year round service expansions is 6x weekly YYZ-AMS service taking to the skies
04JUN.

Jason Myers,
President & CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters trade and
industry association welcomed the launch of Air Canada's new year round AMS route
as a major strategic investment that will benefit businesses in Canada and the
Netherlands in particular but, also further afield. He described the new route
as a “cornerstone" for the growth of business relationships between North
America and Europe as a whole. Myers says the impact will be most welcome as
The Netherlands is an ideal base for initiating business throughout Europe as
is Toronto for doing business in North America.

In fact, The
Netherlands is the 2^nd largest source of foreign direct investment
in Canada with 2 way trade valued at $8.1 billion in the latest statistics
available (2012). But, the relationship between Holland and Canada has always
been particularly close many reasons. The Dutch speak our language(s) gladly
and well – and remain eternally grateful that Canada welcomed and sheltered
Queen Juliana during the Nazi occupation. The liberation at the end of WWII by
Canadian troops also cemented the bond between the 2 countries witnessed by the
liberation celebrations each May both here and in Holland.

The fact that SPL
is an ideal connecting point for onward travel with Air Canada's Star Alliance
partners is not lost on the carrier's strategic planners. As Anna McCune –
Manager, Corporate Sales said, they are definitely counting on the many
opportunities for connecting traffic throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East
and beyond to support this new route.

Other new spring
launch AC routes include:

• YYZ-ATL & YYZ-AUS (Air Canada Express);
  YYZ-LIM (rouge)

• YYC- YXT & YYC-YCD (Air Canada Express);
  YYC-YHZ (rouge)

• YVR-YQQ (Air Canada Express); YVR-Osaka (rouge)

• YUL-VCE (rouge) and YUL-MEX (mainline)

Virgilio Russi,
Senior Director, Sales for Air Canada says the expansion of new routes is
unprecedented for the carrier and that they will actually be operating double
the international routes within the next 5 years. Fasten your seatbelts! Air
Canada's drive to fly new markets is just beginning.