Air Canada’s seasonal Melbourne service going year-round

Air Canada’s upcoming seasonal service between Vancouver (YVR) and Melbourne (MEL) is set to go year-round, starting next summer.

The carrier previously announced it would launch a seasonal service between the two cities from December 1 this year to February 4, 2018. While the flights will still experience a break after February, they are set to make their return as a year-round operation from June 3, 2018 onwards.

That said there will be some changes to the year-round service from the seasonal one, namely a decrease from four to three weekly flights with the main casualty being flights on Monday. These year-round flights will depart Vancouver at 2245 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the return flights will depart Melbourne at 0940 on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

However, the aircraft that will fly the new route – the three-class B787-9 Dreamliner – will remain unchanged from the seasonal service.

“We could see many of our travellers were excited to visit Vancouver for the northern winter season and it’s great to now facilitate travel well beyond the ski season,” said Melbourne Airport chief of aviation, Simon Gandy. “Air Canada’s non-stop service is significant for Melbourne Airport as the only carrier connecting Melbourne to Vancouver. This will not only benefit Victorians but also Tasmanian and South Australian travellers who can take advantage of the reduced connection time compared to other transport hubs.”

Details of the year-round service (starting June 3, 2018) are as follows (all times local):

Details of the seasonal service (December 1, 2017 – February 4, 2018) are as follows (all times local):

Air Canada’s expansion of its Melbourne service also follows the launch of its codeshare agreement with Virgin Australia back in May, which includes a number of the Canadian carrier’s North America services along with Virgin Australia’s domestic flights.

aircanada.com