MONTREAL - The arrival of flight AC1936 at Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport this morning marks the successful launch of non-stop service between Montreal and Casablanca, Air Canada's first African route and the only scheduled non-stop service to North Africa by a North American carrier. Flights between Montreal and the famed Moroccan city will be operated until October 29th, 2016 by Air Canada Rouge with a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Service is scheduled to resume on May 1, 2017.
"The launch of Air Canada's first route to Africa is a significant new addition to our international network. Our new service will be appealing for tourists traveling to Casablanca and beyond, the large Moroccan community based in Montreal as well as business travellers due to the historically close ties between Quebec and Morocco. Customers will now enjoy convenient service on the only non-stop flight by a North American carrier to North Africa, with convenient connections throughout Canada and the U.S. on Air Canada's extensive network. For these reasons, we aim to eventually convert this seasonal route to a year-round service," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "By making us one of the few carriers in the world to fly to six continents, our new Casablanca service also represents an important element in our ongoing international expansion strategy."
Air Canada Vacations offers vacation packages to Casablanca which include a variety of hotels ranging from three to five stars, as well as car rentals, tours and excursions.
The new service will be operated by Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada's leisure carrier, with a 282-seat Boeing 767-300ER, featuring a choice of three customer comfort options available: Economy; Preferred seating offering additional legroom; and Premium Rouge with additional personal space and enhanced service. All flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.
Since 2009, Air Canada has increased its system-wide international capacity, measured by seats, by approximately 50 per cent. This summer on June 16, Air Canada will inaugurate new international services from Montreal to Lyon. Air Canada will also launch new international services between Toronto-London-Gatwick, Toronto-Prague, Toronto-Budapest, Toronto-Glasgow, Toronto-Warsaw, Toronto-Seoul, Vancouver-Brisbane and Vancouver-Dublin.
Last year, Air Canada launched new international services between Toronto-Delhi, Toronto-Amsterdam, Toronto-Dubai, Montreal-Venice, Montreal-Mexico City and Vancouver-Osaka.
Air Canada also announced new seasonal Air Canada Rouge service from Toronto to London-Gatwick, Prague, Budapest, Glasgow and Warsaw, Montreal-Casablanca and Vancouver-Dublin.
