Emirates Airline, recognised this year as the Best Airline in the World in the inaugural TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards, is celebrating 10 years in Canada. Since the inaugural flight in October 2007, Emirates has carried over 1.2 million passengers via its Toronto – Dubai route.

In Canada, Emirates’ codeshare partnerships with WestJet and Alaska Airlines enable it to connect travellers from across its global network to more Canadian cities, and vice versa. Hitting the 10 year milestone in Canada shows Emirates’ continued commitment to its operations in the country.

"We’re proud to be celebrating 10 years of operations in Canada," says Hubert Frach, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West at Emirates. "We started with a Boeing 777 aircraft flying three times a week. By June 2009, we had started operating with the Airbus A380 and increased our passenger capacity by 40 percent across Canada, which illustrates the strong demand from customers and the market."

Emirates’ three flights per week between Toronto and Dubai is the maximum permitted frequency in the Air Transport Agreement negotiated between Canada and the United Arab Emirates in 1999. To date, Emirates’ entitlement and frequency of service remains unchanged, while trade between the two countries has increased significantly. Since 2009 and the upgrade to the A380, passenger occupancy on Emirates’ Toronto service has been consistently full, averaging 90 percent, with demand outstripping supply.

The majority of Canadian passengers are travelling to Dubai, the Middle East and the South Asia subcontinent, with leisure traffic to the Maldives and Mauritius. Emirates is currently the only airline operating the A380 out of Toronto and takes great pride in providing best-in-class service for both business and leisure passengers. In Canada, with stopovers permitted on all Emirates fares and great travel packages, Dubai continues to be a prime holiday destination.

Frach added, "Over the past decade we’ve witnessed an increasing interest in Dubai. In the latest seat sale results, Dubai was the top destination sold in Canada. Dubai offers many attractions to cater to visitors with different interests, and has a growing selection of cruise, family and luxury providers."

Emirates is the world’s largest A380 operator with 98 in its fleet and over 80 million passengers have flown on the double-decked aircraft since 2008. The three-class A380 on the Toronto route offers a total of 515 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 lie flat seats in Business Class and 425 seats in spacious Economy Class cabin. The Emirates A380 is renowned for its First Class Private Suites and Shower Spas, as well as Onboard Lounge for First and Business Class passengers.

Passengers in all classes can enjoy Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends. Emirates’ award-winning entertainment system has more than 2,500 channels and this year was awarded as the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment at the Skytrax World Airline Awards for the 13th consecutive year. Passengers travelling on the Emirates A380 enjoy spacious cabins and experience a peaceful journey in the world’s quietest long-range jet.

According to the latest trade statistics, the UAE continues to be Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa since the last 12 years and is the 16th largest globally. In 2016 alone, bilateral trade between Canada and the UAE exceeded $1.9 billion, having grown by 64 percent since the two countries were first connected by direct air services by Emirates in 2007.

Emirates SkyCargo has also played an important role in connecting Canada to the world. In 2016, Emirates’ flights to and from Canada carried over 4,000 tonnes of cargo. Currently, major cargo imports include fruit, vegetables and fish. Major exports pharmaceuticals, electronics, mining/drilling equipment, livestock and courier services.

Emirates currently serves Canada with services to Dubai, and onwards to 157 destinations in 84 countries, from Toronto three times a week.