Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline and flag carrier, took to the skies with its newest route, relaunching flights between London Heathrow and Ottawa.The new international service heralds a huge milestone, not only for Air Canada, but also for UK-Canada ties, being the only direct flight between the UK and Canada’s capital city.
The first flight, AC889, departed Heathrow at 14:05 yesterday afternoon, following a small celebration at Heathrow’s Terminal 2, before touching down in Ottawa at 16:25 local time.
This summer, flights will operate four times per week, departing London each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoon, arriving into the Ontarian city in just over seven hours*.
On the return, flights depart Ottawa each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evening, before arriving into the British capital the next morning.
Customers looking to cross the Atlantic in style can benefit from this new service until 25 October 2025, with flights operated by the airline’s state-of-the-art 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, featuring lie-flat seats in Business Class, and spacious Premium Economy and Economy cabins.
Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President, Revenue & Network Planning and President, Cargo, said: “We are thrilled to resume our Ottawa trans-Atlantic services linking Canada’s capital city and London Heathrow, home to one of the world’s most iconic travel destinations and international gateways.
“With Air Canada’s Heathrow to Ottawa flights offering easy access to and from Canada’s National Capital region, we are proud to be supporting international business and corporate travel, tourism, plus people visiting friends and family, and look forward to welcoming customers onboard.”
Ross Baker, Heathrow’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Heathrow is committed to offering passengers more choices than ever when it comes to traveling the world, and we are always looking to expand our global reach in collaboration with our airline partners. The launch of Air Canada’s new route to Canada’s capital demonstrates how the world’s most-connected airport is becoming even more connected.”
Famed for its rich culture and accessibility to the great Ontarian outdoors, Ottawa is located between Toronto and Montreal and situated on the Rideau Canal – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Established as Canada’s capital in 1857, Ottawa has evolved into one of the country’s most vibrant and exciting cities, with a walkable downtown, and an abundance of parks, restaurants, museums and galleries.
Other highlights include the city’s stunning architecture, including the Canadian Parliament Buildings, and year-round events such as the Canadian Tulip Festival each May – the largest of its kind in the world.
This summer, Air Canada will offer up to 63 weekly flights between Heathrow and Canada, with direct flights to Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver – and now Ottawa.
Alongside smooth connections to a wide range of smaller cities across Canada, the airline’s global network offers Brits convenient options to connect via Canada to destinations in the US, Caribbean, South America and Mexico. Those flying through Air Canada’s hubs to the U.S. also benefit from US customs preclearance, allowing travellers to pre-clear all US immigration and customs formalities pre-departure, and therefore arrive in the US as a domestic passenger.
