The agreement provides more convenient travel opportunities between the two countries.
Qatar Airways and Air Canada have finalised a codeshare agreement for travel between the two countries, with the first codeshare flight set to operate from December 15.
The agreement aims to boost Canada’s global connectivity in an effort to support the recovery of tourism and trade, which have particularly struggled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are delighted to secure this strategic codeshare agreement with Air Canada to provide our travellers with a seamless journey to and from Toronto with excellence in state-of-the-art and sustainable aircraft, safety, comfort, and onboard service,” said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive.
A codeshare agreement is an aviation business arrangement that allows airlines to market the same flight under their own airline and flight number or code.
Currently, Qatar Airways has various code-share partners across the globe, including major US airline, JetBlue, SriLankan Airlines, British Airways, and Royal Jordanian.
The recent agreement enables Qatar Airways’ passengers to enjoy smooth, one-stop connections to and from Toronto through the Hamad International Airport (HIA).
Air Canada passengers will also be able to book travel through the Qatari airline to more than 75 destinations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
“By harnessing our complementary strengths, this agreement will also provide benefits to aid the recovery of international travel,” said Al Baker.
The Qatari flag carrier has also worked closely with the Canadian government and its embassies across the globe during the pandemic. Qatar Airways has temporarily operated three weekly flights to Toronto in addition to charter flights to Vancouver, which helped return more than 40,000 passengers to their homes in Canada.
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Qatar Airways began flying to Canada in June 2011 with three weekly flights to Montreal that later increased to four in December 2018.
As part of its efforts to continue to grow as a leading airline, Qatar Airways plans to rebuild its network to 126 destinations, including 20 in Africa, 11 in the Americas, 42 in Asia-Pacific, 38 in Europe, and 15 in the Middle East by the end of the International Air Transport Association’ (IATA) Winter Season.
Canada’s national carrier is also among the 20 largest airlines in the world, serving over 51 million customers in 2019. During the same year, Air Canada was awarded theBest Airline in North America.
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