Air Canada's overall capacity will increase 4 to 6 percent this year, while Asia will see a more-than-10 percent rise in capacity. (Agencies)
The Canadian carrier is expected to receive its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in 2013 and is considering launching scheduled services between Guangzhou and Vancouver with a B787, the most fuel-efficient airliner built by Boeing, said Calin Rovinescu, chief executive officer (CEO) at Air Canada.
The Guangzhou service would make Air Canada the first North American airline to serve the southern city in the Pearl River Delta.
“China is amongst the most important international markets for us. The increased capacity to Beijing and Shanghai is a large commitment of assets, over $1 billion of assets,” Rovinescu said on Friday.
Rovinescu said the continued economic rebound in China made Air Canada “confident about taking a risk” by expanding capacity in China while the airline industry has just started to see signs of recovery from falling travel demand.
Another important driver is that the Chinese government granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) to Canada last December, he said. The ADS system simplifies visa application procedures for tourists and they can use ordinary passports to apply for tourist visas if they want to visit an approved country.
The number of Chinese tourists in Canada is expected to increase 50 percent annually by 2015 after ADS takes effect, according to figures from Conference Board of Canada.
Air Canada reduced its total capacity by 14 percent last year due to falling travel demand. Its overall capacity will increase 4 to 6 percent this year, while Asia will see a more-than-10 percent rise in capacity and China is seeing the biggest increase, about 25 percent, Rovinescu said. – read more at CHinaDaily.com…