Air Canada, the country’s largest airline and flag carrier, has inaugurated its newest international route linking Vancouver and Manila. Its maiden flight (AC017) departed from Vancouver International Airport on April 2 and arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila. According to an update shared by NAIA, the flight was “welcomed with a short water cannon salute—a tradition observed for inaugural flights.”

Air Canada’s first direct flight from Vancouver to Manila strengthens its presence in Southeast Asia. As per the airline’s initial announcement in December 2024, the new route will operate three times weekly starting April 2, 2025, using the airline’s flagship Dreamliner aircraft. The frequency will increase to four times weekly beginning May 2025.

“We are proud to be the only Canadian carrier flying to the Philippines, building on the longstanding ties between our countries to make visiting family and friends, conducting business, or heading on vacation more convenient than ever,” said Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s executive vice president. “With more than one million Filipinos living in Canada, representing an important market, direct air services serve as a catalyst for facilitating tourism, trade, and connectivity, and represent the fastest way to travel to Manila.”

Air Canada's Manila flights represent the airline's 12th route in its transpacific network from Vancouver, which includes destinations in Japan, South Korea, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, SAE, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, leveraging Vancouver's geographic position as the closest major North American city to Asia. For summer 2025, Air Canada will offer over 180 weekly flights between Canada and the Pacific, the most non-stop flights of any carrier in the market. This marks a continuation of Air Canada's expansion into fast-growing markets into Southeast Asia, building off recent additions to Singapore and Bangkok, to more than double summer season seat capacity over the Pacific since 2022.