Air Canada Launches Montreal-Lyon Non-stop Service

Only year-round non-stop flights between North America and Lyon

The arrival of flight AC828 at Lyon-Saint-Exupery airport this morning marks the successful launch of non-stop service betweenMontreal and Lyon, the only year-round non-stop service between North America andLyon. Flights will operate five times weekly during the summer and four times weekly during the winter with a Boeing 767-300ER featuring 24 International Business Class lie-flat suites and 187 Economy class seats.

“Air Canada is pleased to offer customers non-stop, year-round service between Montrealand Lyon, the second largest metropolitan area in France and an important economic centre and capital of the Rhones-Alpes region. It’s also known for its gastronomy and famous wine-growing regions. Air Canada has long served Paris Charles de Gaulle now with up to four daily flights, two from Montreal and two from Toronto. This new mainline route will further increase convenience for customers travelling to France for business or leisure. As the only airline offering year-round service between North America and Lyon, Air Canada continues to develop its Montreal hub as a convenient connecting point for one-stop access to and from the United States. At the same time, we are strengthening our presence in the important French market where we also offer Air Canada Rouge service to Nice-Côte d’Azur four times a week during the popular summer vacation months,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada.

“Montreal and Lyon have a long history of partnership and collaboration. The close bonds developed between our two cities are reflective of our special relationship and this new bridge will further strengthen exchanges between the two metropolitan areas. It will undoubtedly help to strengthen economic ties between us and create business opportunities. With this new Air Canada route, the list or reasons to visit Montrealcontinues to grow,” said the Honourable Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montreal.

“I would like to congratulate and thank Air Canada for adding Lyon to its already impressive list of non-stop destinations served from Montreal,” said James Cherry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aéroports de Montréal. “This new service will strengthen the unique synergy between Montreal and Lyon, a bond that was solidified when our cities were twinned in 1989.”

“On behalf of all Tourism Montreal partners, I would like to commend Air Canada’s efforts to improve our city’s accessibility. The addition of flights to Lyon is essential for tourism outreach and this route offers excellent opportunities for Montreal, confirming its status as the official gateway to Quebec,” added Yves Lalumière, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Montreal.

This year, Air Canada has increased Trans-Atlantic capacity from Montreal by 26 per cent resulting in a 97 per cent capacity growth in the last three years. The new Montreal–Lyonservice is part of Air Canada’s ongoing international expansion.

This summer, Air Canada is offering new international services between Montreal–Casablanca, Toronto–London–Gatwick, Toronto–Budapest, Toronto–Warsaw, Toronto–Glasgow, Toronto–Seoul, Vancouver–Brisbane, and Vancouver-Dublin.

Last year, Air Canada launched new international services between Montreal–Venice,Montreal–Mexico City, Toronto–Delhi, Toronto–Amsterdam, Toronto–Dubai, and Vancouver–Osaka.
For information on other new Air Canada services please seehttp://aircanada.mediaroom.com.

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.  Canada’s flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2015 served more than 41 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 55 in the United States and 87 inEurope, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central Americaand South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,321 airports in 193 countries.