Canadian flag carrier Air Canada has unveiled a new seasonal route between Montreal-Trudeau (YUL) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS).

Amsterdam bound

Bouncing back from its pandemic slump, Air Canada is eyeing a hefty summer schedule, expanding across Canada, the United States, and Europe. In a statement posted Wednesday, the airline confirmed it would be adding a new direct route between Montreal's Trudeau International Airport and Amsterdam. AC900 and AC901 are set to run from June 2nd to October 14th, providing five weekly connections between the two cities with Air Canada's fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Through the season, Air Canada will compete directly with Dutch flag carriers KLM and Air Transat on the route; however, the carrier will provide two additional frequencies, providing customers through the season with up to 6,000 seats per month.

"We continue to see strong demand for travel to Europe, and we are thrilled to increase service and add new, non-stop service between Montreal and Amsterdam for summer 2023, complementing our year-round service between Toronto and the Dutch capital," noted Mark Galardo, Air Canada's Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management.

"With up to double daily flights between Canada and Amsterdam this summer from two of our global hubs, customers on both sides of the Atlantic have an abundance of convenient choices to visit and explore each other's countries and beyond."

Growing network

Air Canada is set to offer flights to Europe from five Canadian airports this summer, with Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Halifax (YHZ), and Montreal connecting to several destinations including London Heathrow (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA), and Paris (CDG).

Alongside its gradual European expansion, Air Canada has been working to increase its cross-border flights between the US and Canada. In partnership with legacy carrier United Airlines, Air Canada is set to offer more than 260 daily flights from Canada to more than 50 airports across the US.

The slight growth comes amid Air Canada's $140 million loss for 2022, posted in February. Within the full-year report, the airline dramatically reduced its losses compared to 2021; however, figures still sat well below pre-pandemic levels. Air Canada is targeting a return to 2019's capacity by 2024, aiming for around 90% through 2023.

Growing competition

The carrier is facing increased challenges on many domestic routes with the gradual return of WestJet and new competitor Porter Airlines. Several popular regional services out of Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal all face direct low-cost competition, while leisure flights to sunnier destinations are set to go head-to-head with budget rivals Lynx Air, Flair Airlines, and Canada Jetlines.

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Aviation analysts have warned of the growing competition within the industry potentially leading to an oversupply of seats if the market continues to expand. Speaking to The Calgary Herald in February, AirTrav president Robert Kokanis noted the concerning trend might leave some low-cost carriers vulnerable to collapse.

"You don't necessarily want to have the race to the bottom. Everywhere, everybody's pulling service and quality of experience," added Kokanis.

"But time will tell with all this huge amount of capacity in the marketplace."

Will you be flying with Air Canada this summer? What other destinations would you like to see the airline add? Let us know in the comments.

Source: The Calgary Herald

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