Air Canada extends Dublin-Toronto
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Air Canada is to extend is Dublin-Toronto route to a year-round service next year as part of its Air Canada rouge network.
The seasonal service will operate from 17 May to 30 September this year but will be extended to year-round in 2014. It will be run using a Boeing 767-300ER with two cabins, which will include the Premium rouge service from winter 2013.
“Air Canada has been serving Ireland since its predecessor, Trans-Canada Air Lines, first flew to Shannon in 1947. Today, there is a very strong market for both leisure customers and visiting friends and relatives, so this is an ideal market for our new leisure carrier, Air Canada rouge, to operate more cost effectively on a year-round basis,” said Ben Smith, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air Canada.
The Dublin route is part of Air Canada rouge’s launch this year, Air Canada’s new low-cost option with several European and Caribbean routes. There are rapid growth plans in place for the carrier.
“This [Dublin] is the fourth European destination announced for Air Canada rouge, which will begin flying this July to Edinburgh, Venice and Athens in addition to a number of Caribbean destinations. We intend to grow Air Canada rouge quickly from four aircraft to 32 aircraft by the end of 2014 and 42 aircraft by the end of 2015,” added Smith.
The announcement comes after Air Canada’s financial performance improved in the first quarter of 2013, as its adjusted net loss narrowed to CA$143 million (US$139m) – 11.7% up year-on-year.
The airline said that unfavourable exchange rates and a dip in the corporate traveller sector had impacted its performance in the quarter, while flight cancellations caused by severe weather conditions also had a negative effect.
Despite this, Air Canada’s passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 1.1% year-on-year, mainly due to passenger load factor improvements.
Air Canada has also managed to reduce its net debt by CA$246m to CA$3.99 billion.