Air Canada today is marking the inauguration of its newest international flights linking Vancouver and Manila, solidifying the airline’s presence in Southeast Asia and supporting Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy. The launch of service to Manila also positions Air Canada as the North American airline serving the most destinations non-stop in Southeast Asia.
Celebrations at the airline’s YVR Pacific hub were held on April 1 and again prior to the departure of AC017 at 01:55 on April 2. The flight arrives in Manila at 06:20 local time on April 3.
“We are proud to be the only Canadian carrier flying to the Philippines, building on the longstanding ties between our countries to make visiting family and friends, conducting business, or heading on vacation more convenient than ever. With more than one million Filipinos living in Canada representing an important market, direct air services are a catalyst to facilitating tourism, trade and connectivity, and represent the fastest way of travelling to Manila. Whether you start or end your journey at our Vancouver Pacific hub, or one of our conveniently connected network destinations, we are thrilled to welcome you onboard our newest Asia-Pacific flight,” said Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning, & President, Cargo.
“The new route from Vancouver to Manila is welcome news for British Columbians and will help better connect the more than 170,000 Filipino Canadians living here with their loved ones,” said BC Premier David Eby. “At a time where we are focused on expanding our global markets, this new flight will benefit tourism, trade and strengthen our overall economy.”
“This is a big win for Vancouver and our city’s incredible Filipino community. Air Canada’s new non-stop flights to Manila will bring families closer, create new opportunities, and strengthen the ties between Canada and the Philippines. Vancouver is proud to be the gateway for this exciting expansion, and we look forward to welcoming even more people to our world-class city,” said Mayor Ken Sim, City of Vancouver.
“We are delighted to welcome this new service to Manila, and thank Air Canada for its continued investment in YVR as part of their growing network between Canada, the Philippines and beyond,” said Tamara Vrooman, President & CEO at YVR. “This new non-stop route builds on our already strong air access to the Asia-Pacific region and will facilitate even more onward connections, enabling greater travel and trade from YVR.”
Air Canada’s Manila schedule:
| Flight | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days of operation |
| AC017 | Vancouver (YVR) | Manila (MNL) | 01:55 | 06:20 (+1 day) | Month of April: Mon, Wed, FriBeginning May 1, 2025 onwards: Tue, Thur, Fri, Sun |
| AC018 | Manila (MNL) | Vancouver (YVR) | 09:25 | 06:20 | Month of April: Tue, Thur, SatBeginning May 2, 2025 onwards: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat |
Air Canada’s Manila flights represent the airline’s 12th route in its transpacific network from Vancouver, which includes destinations in Japan, South Korea, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, SAE, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, leveraging Vancouver’s geographic position as the closest major North American city to Asia. For summer 2025, Air Canada will offer over 180 weekly flights between Canada and the Pacific, the most non-stop flights of any carrier in the market. This marks a continuation of Air Canada’s expansion into fast-growing markets into Southeast Asia, building off recent additions to Singapore and Bangkok, to more than double summer season seat capacity over the Pacific since 2022.
