Canada has approved an increase in flights to China as the two countries take further steps to rebuild air connectivity—although capacity remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
The Canadian government says that airlines from both countries will be allowed to incrementally expand direct passenger services, alongside up to 20 weekly all-cargo flights and reciprocal access to all points in each country. The move follows Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing earlier this year and forms part of a broader effort to strengthen economic ties.
“Increasing passenger and cargo flights with China is a very positive step toward our trade diversification goals while also reinforcing our strong people-to-people ties,” Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says. “We are giving Canadian travelers more choice and more convenience while growing our commercial relationship with China.”
The announcement comes as the Canada-China aviation market remains well below pre-pandemic levels despite steady improvement over the past 18 months. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, there are currently about 35X-weekly roundtrip, nonstop flights between the two countries, operated by seven airlines. That compares with just 10X-weekly roundtrips as recently as October 2024, but remains far short of the roughly 110 weekly frequencies recorded at this time in 2019.
Overall, there are about 22,400 two-way weekly seats available in the market, up from approximately 17,500 a year ago, but still significantly below the nearly 66,000 seats offered before the pandemic…
