Air Canada adding routes to Europe, Japan next in summer travel expansion

An Air Canada Airbus A220-300 airliner from Toronto arrives at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield, N.S. on Monday, June 28, 2021. The Montreal-based airline plans to resume flights to Japan, with routes from Vancouver to Tokyo Haneda and Vancouver to Osaka, starting next summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Air Canada announced new European routes and plans to resume select routes to Japan this summer, in an effort to expand international services.

The Montreal-based airline plans to resume flights from Vancouver to Tokyo Haneda and Vancouver to Osaka, starting next summer. It resumed flights to Tokyo Narita airport in April.

The announcement comes after Japan introduced new border measures this fall, that allow all foreign nationals entry to Japan with proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test, easing two years of pandemic restrictions.

Air Canada also plans to expand European routes by adding flights from Toronto to Brussels, Montreal to Toulouse and Montreal to Copenhagen, starting June 1, 2023.

The airline says it will also increase frequency to current international routes in Atlantic, Pacific and South America regions, including flights to Tokyo Narita, Frankfurt and Dubai.

The announcement is a part of Air Canada's plan to expand global services in response to the increasing demand for international travel.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2022.