MONTREAL – Air Canada on Tuesday (Dec 6) announced a new service between Montreal and Fort McMurray that will launch next June as part of the carrier’s Canadian summer schedule. For summer 2023, Air Canada is also restoring suspended services and increasing frequencies on popular routes across Canada, as the company augments its Canadian network following the pandemic.
“As the country’s flag carrier, Air Canada’s increased Canadian summer schedule further reinforces our role in providing critical connectivity to Canadians coast-to-coast. Our new Montreal-Fort McMurray service brings easier access from eastern Canada to one of the critical economic hubs of Alberta. And with the prudent restoration of suspended routes and increased frequencies on others, we are improving our customers’ options for domestic travel. We are looking forward to an exceptional summer, with service on 97 domestic routes to 51 Canadian airports, making us the largest Canadian carrier, with the most seats and capacity available for travelers,” said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada.
“Furthermore, we’ve built our Canadian summer schedule to synchronize with our recently announced summer international schedule, facilitating connectivity through our hubs for our customers, whether they’re traveling within Canada, across the border to the US, or to our many destinations worldwide. “
New service between Montreal and Fort McMurray will begin June 20, 2023. Flights will be operated year-round, three days a week, by Air Canada Rouge using an Airbus A319 aircraft with 136 seats in a Premium Rouge and Economy Class configuration. With its new Montreal and existing Toronto service, Air Canada will be the only carrier connecting Fort McMurray non-stop to Quebec and Ontario.
| Flight | Departs | Arrives | Days of Week |
| AC1943 | Montreal 08:15 | Fort McMurray 10:38 | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday |
| AC1942 | Fort McMurray 12:05 | Montreal 17:52 | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday |
Air Canada also announced the resumption of several seasonal routes and one previously suspended route. This includes daily Gander-Toronto flights beginning June 1, London, Ontario-Montreal flights beginning June 17, four-times-weekly Fort McMurray-Toronto flights resuming May 1, and three-times weekly Calgary-Quebec City flights starting June 19. In addition, Air Canada is planning daily widebody service on its Ottawa-Vancouver route while also offering multiple options to popular leisure destinations, such as Kelowna and Victoria through its three main hubs.
Frequency Increases
| Route | Frequency (Summer 2023 versus Summer 2022) |
| Edmonton-Montreal | Increases to four times daily from twice daily |
| Vancouver-Montreal | Increases to six times daily from five daily |
| Calgary-Toronto | Increases to 13 times daily from 11 daily |
| Kelowna-Vancouver | Increases to eight times daily from seven daily |
| Winnipeg-Toronto | Increases to seven times daily from five daily |
| Saint John-Toronto | Increases to three times daily from once daily |
| Kelowna-Toronto | Increases to two times daily from once daily |
| Quebec City-Vancouver | Increases to five times from three times weekly |
