Press Release
YELLOWKNIFE (August 8, 2018)
More travellers to the Northwest Territories (NWT) will experience the ease of non-stop flights between Yellowknife and Vancouver, thanks to two daily Air Canada flights this upcoming fall and winter. One non-stop flight, which was previously offered from December 2017 to April 2018, will return for the territory’s popular aurora viewing season, starting earlier in September this year, and will double for the winter season. Additionally, one flight will now be offered year-round.
Both flights connect seamlessly from Air Canada’s Asia and United States routes. The added flights were discussed during the recent China Trade Mission in response to the territory’s growing tourism industry.
Quotes:
“When it comes to growing the Northwest Territories’ tourism industry, accessibility is key. Direct and non-stop flights between Yellowknife and Vancouver let us better cater to the growing number of travelers from Asia, particularly in recognition of 2018 as the Year of Canada China Tourism. Enhanced accessibility also means that visiting communities beyond the capital city will become quicker and easier.”
- Wally Schumann, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment
“This is a great tourism success story. New Vancouver direct flights in and out of the territory added in response to growing tourism demand, means our marketing efforts to grow tourism across all seasons and in international markets are strengthened and NWT residents also benefit from more travel options to the south year-round.”
- Cathie Bolstad, Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Territories Tourism
“Since launching this route last winter, we have seen a growing demand for travel to Canada’s Northwest Territories from Asia particularly from Japan. As a result, we are strategically increasing our services between Yellowknife and Vancouver by resuming services earlier this season, doubling the flights this winter and extending service to year-round. Our flights between Yellowknife and our trans-Pacific hub at YVR connect conveniently to and from our Asia flights, and complement our year-round services from Yellowknife to Edmonton and to Calgary.”
- Benjamin Smith, President, Airlines & Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada
Quick facts:
Air Canada’s year-round non-stop flight will begin September 5, 2018:
- Flight AC8833: Departs Vancouver at 3:30, arrives in Yellowknife at 7:00pm
- Flight AC8834: Departs Yellowknife at 7:00am, arrives in Vancouver 8:45am
Air Canada’s seasonal non-stop flight will run from October 28, 2018 until the end of April 2019:
- Flight AC8841: Departs Vancouver at 8:35pm, arrives in Yellowknife at 12:05am
- Flight AC8846: Departs Yellowknife at 7:30pm, arrives in Vancouver at 9:15pm.
The NWT’s tourism industry reached records of $201.40 million and over 100,000 visitors in 2016-2017. Aurora viewers made up 23% of these visitors.