Air Canada going direct to Melbourne, Australia

Air Canada today will be expanding service to its South Pacific network by ntroducing direct service between Toronto and Melbourne, Australia and by increasing capacity on the Vancouver-Honolulu-Sydney route effective November 30, 2001.

The airline will operate three times weekly ‘same-plane’ service Toronto to Melbourne via Honolulu using 212-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft and, in response to customer demand, will increase capacity on daily Vancouver-Honolulu-Sydney service replacing the current 212-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 284-seat Airbus A340.

The Melbourne route will see Air Canada operating ten weekly flights between Canada and Australia and five weekly flights between Canada and Auckland in cooperation
with Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand.

“Consistent with the Air Canada Action Plan announced August 1,2001, we are responding to new market growth opportunities in the South Pacific by increasing capacity from Vancouver to Sydney and expanding Honolulu as a strategic connecting hub for Air Canada’s network. said Bill Bredt, vice president, International.

The Action Plan calls for the carrier to reduce capacity for 2002 by approximately two percent from current 2001 levels. Air Canada will also reconfigure its fleet and adjust capacity on other routes.