YOUR AIRPORT & SEA ISLAND COMMUNITY CONNECTION
SKYTALKONLINE.COM
MAY 2017
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Airlines:
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Air Canada is set to begin a seasonal, four-times weekly service between YVR and Melbourne Airport (MEL), marking the first ever direct, non-stop flight from Canada to this Australian city. The YVR-MEL route will be operated on an Air Canada Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, with seat capacity for 298 passengers, and will run from December 1, 2017 to February 4, 2018. In addition to this new YVR-MEL route, Air Canada’s leisure airline, Air Canada Rouge, will begin twice-weekly service between YVR and Orlando International Airport (MCO) on December 20, 2017.
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The seasonal YVR-MCO route on Air Canada Rouge will operate to April 8, 2018 using 282-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft. Both seasonal routes are timed to optimize connectiv-
ity to Air Canada’s extensive network across North America and internationally from YVR. “This is another exciting first for YVR—direct service to Melbourne,” said Craig Richmond, president and CEO,
Last month on April 10, YVR welcomed China Southern Airlines’ new three-times weekly Guangzhou— Vancouver—Mexico City service. The new service, which uses a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, marks the first route between China and Mexico via YVR. “I would like to thank China Southern for their continued support and for providing another great choice for our passengers,” said Craig Richmond, YVR’s president & CEO. “This new service will further develop YVR as a world-class hub and will
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Vancouver Airport Authority. “We are thrilled that we will soon be able to offer Canadians direct access to this dynamic city and further options for passengers looking to escape the winter to go to Orlando.
“We are pleased that Air Canada chose YVR as the airport to launch the Melbourne service and feel confident this route will be a success, hopefully leading to year-round service based upon the substantial increase we have seen of Australian visitors to YVR in the last two years,” said Richmond. Together, the new routes will contribute $2.5-million in wages, $1.4-million in taxes and $4.4-million in Gross Domestic Product to the British Columbia economy. “Air Canada is continuing its strategic, global expansion with a diverse range of exciting new non-stop routes this See AIR CANADA page 4
China Southern launches new Guangzhou— Vancouver—Mexico City service
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Your Airport & Sea Island Community Connection.
Melbourne boasts iconic laneways, eclectic nightlife, tantalizing food and wine, a dynamic arts scene and more. Photo: courtesy Tourism Melbourne.
Harbour Air’s Canada 150 planes
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Air Canada to offer first direct Vancouver-Melbourne service
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help us achieve our vision of connecting Asia to the Americas. These two great destinations are linked together through our airport, with plenty of opportunities for business, education and tourism between the two regions.” The new service further strengths YVR and China Southern’s successful partnership, which started with the launch of China Southern’s Guangzhou service in 2011. Passengers who use the new service will have the opportunity to make YVR their final destination or carry onward to Mexico City or Guangzhou.
A new chapter in WestJet’s history WestJet has placed an order with Boeing for up to 20 of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The purchase agreement includes commitments for 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to be delivered between the first quarter of 2019 and December 2021, with options for an additional 10 aircraft to be delivered between 2020 and 2024. With a range of more than 14,000 kilometres, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is a stateof-the-art aircraft that is 20 per cent more fuel efficient than WestJet’s current fleet of
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Boeing 767 aircraft. Acquisition of Dreamliner aircraft will provide WestJet with a fleet that has the range and fuel efficiency to serve new destinations in Asia, South America and expand the airline’s service to European destinations. “This order represents an exciting new chapter in WestJet’s history,” said Gregg Saretsky, WestJet president and CEO. “We have carefully executed on our strategic plan, first launching WestJet Encore to connect smaller communities
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across Canada to our growing network followed by our suc-
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* YVR is the international aeronautical designation for Vancouver International Airport.
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cessful venture into wide-body aircraft flying to Hawaii and
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SAT MAY 20, 2017 VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN 3 7 T H & O A K , VA N C O U V E R
W E S T E R N D R I V E R . C O M PSTEWART@WESTERNDRIVER.COM
London Gatwick.
See WESTJET page 2
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