Emirates has taken off to Montréal, marking the airline’s first passenger flight to Québec’s culture capital, its second gateway in Canada. Emirates flight EK243 departed with over 340 passengers, including a VIP delegation and media onboard at 0300hrs today.

The new daily service to Montréal complements Emirates’ seven weekly services to Toronto and takes the airline’s North American network to 14 destinations and a total of 18 across the Americas. The service will provide travellers to Canada connectivity via Dubai from points such as Lebanon, India, Iran, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa.

Direct services between Dubai and Montréal are expected to meet demand from a diverse mix of demographics, including business and leisure travellers, in addition to visiting family and friends that consists of Canadians living and working in the UAE. With Montréal being home to a number of world-class universities, the route is expected to become immensely popular amongst students from the Middle East, West and Central Asia and Far East.

Emirates executives onboard included: Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer; Salem Obaidalla, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Americas; and David Broz, Vice President Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs. Present at the airport to bid farewell to the delegation was HE Radha Krishna Panday, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE.

Commanding the inaugural flight to Montréal was Captain Talal Al Hammadi (UAE National), Captain David Reny (Canadian), First Officer Omar Alhammadi (UAE National) and First Officer Veljko Veljovic (Canadian).

Emirates will operate its three-class Boeing 777-300ER on the route, featuring eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and over 300 spacious seats in Economy Class for the daily service.