Air Canada to axe S’pore’s only non-stop flight to Canada in January 2027

SINGAPORE – Travellers looking to hop on a direct flight from Singapore to Canada will soon lose their only option, as Air Canada prepares to axe its non-stop service between the Republic and Vancouver in January 2027.

The route – which links Singapore to the city in western Canada on the Boeing 787-9 aircraft – will be suspended on Jan 26, 2027, a spokeswoman for the Canadian flagship carrier confirmed on Sept 23, in response to queries.

With this, travellers hoping to visit the Great White North will now need to make at least one stopover in places such as Hong Kong or the United States.

Citing commercial reasons, the spokeswoman said: “Despite significant efforts and resources invested in the Vancouver-Singapore route for close to three years by Air Canada and other partners, the route regrettably did not meet the business targets that would enable this service to remain sustainable.”

The non-stop flight was launched in April 2024, six months after Singapore Airlines (SIA) stopped services between Singapore and Vancouver following a review of its network operations, The Straits Times reported that year.

Explaining the timeline, the spokeswoman said the end date for the Singapore-Vancouver route was chosen “far enough into the future to protect the majority of our customers”.

Currently, Air Canada operates the 12,818km non-stop service up to five times a week, making it the airline’s longest flight by distance.

The flight time from Singapore to Vancouver is about 14 hours, while the return journey takes about 16 hours and 45 minutes.

The spokeswoman said economic factors affecting the route include commercial demand and its ultra-long distance.

Taken together with the current cost of fuel, the airline said that ultra-long flights have become inefficient due to the additional fuel requirements and associated fuel burn.

“As a result, Air Canada has made the difficult but necessary decision to redeploy its fleet to other markets where demand and other economic factors are better aligned,” the spokeswoman said.

Air Canada had originally added the non-stop service in response to growing market demand, its vice-president of government and community relations, David Rheault, said at the time of its launch in April 2024.

Even as Air Canada plans to halt its Singapore-Vancouver route, the spokeswoman said the airline will continue to retain its presence and serve Singapore through codeshare agreements with Star Alliance partners.

Under these arrangements, Air Canada’s code is placed on SIA-operated flights to hubs, including Tokyo’s Narita, South Korea’s Incheon, Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Brussels airports, she added.

It is also placed on ANA flights to Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda, allowing travellers to board Air Canada-operated flights at these airports.

Daniel Lai is a journalist at the ST Now team, covering breaking news and international affairs.