Emirates and Air Canada today announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement & establish a codeshare relationship later in 2022. This will offer enhanced consumer travel choices and experience for Air Canada customers to travel to the United Arab Emirates and to destinations beyond Dubai, and Emirates customers when traveling to Toronto or to key destinations across the Air Canada network.
Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline mentioned, “This is a significant partnership that will enable our customers access to even more destinations in Canada and the Americas, via our Toronto and US gateways. It also opens up many new route combinations for travelers across Emirates’ and Air Canada’s extensive networks in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We are pleased to partner with Air Canada, one of North America’s most established airlines and Canada’s flag carrier and we look forward to jointly progressing on various areas to provide even better customer flight choices and experiences.”
Michael Rousseau, President & Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada said, “As we continue pursuing our strategy of expanding our global reach in response to growing opportunities in VFR markets (Visit Friends and Relatives) that serve Canada’s large multicultural communities, we are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with Emirates, a highly respected flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates with a hub in the vibrant city of Dubai.”
“This strategic agreement will create network synergies, and Air Canada customers will have additional, convenient options when traveling between Canada and the United Arab Emirates as well as destinations beyond Dubai. We look forward to introducing Air Canada codeshare service on key Emirates flights, as well as adding the EK code on select Air Canada flights, and welcoming Emirates customers on our services later this year.”
To further enhance the customer experience, the carriers will also establish reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and reciprocal lounge access for qualifying customers. Further details of the partnership and specific codeshare routes will be announced when finalized and will be subject to regulatory approvals and final documentation.