Air Transat celebrates the launch of its brand-new direct service between Vancouver and Quebec City, becoming the first and only airline to operate this route. Flights will be offered once a week, on Mondays from Vancouver and on Sundays from Quebec City, until October 25.

"It was only natural for us to add this route to our summer schedule," says Joseph Adamo, Transat's Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. "As we predicted, travellers are showing a strong interest in domestic destinations, so we are pleased to offer them this new route linking two of Canada's most important tourist hubs."

This morning, to mark the inauguration of this new route, the 163 passengers of the very first TS969 flight from Vancouver were welcomed in a festive manner at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). This comes a day after 185 passengers boarded the inaugural TS968 flight from Quebec City's Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB).

"We are thrilled to welcome Air Transat back to Canada's skies with its new service connecting YVR to beautiful Quebec City," says Tamara Vrooman, President and CEO of Vancouver International Airport. "The addition of this seasonal flight provides travellers with more options when flying domestically from YVR and is a strong signal of confidence from Air Transat as it rejoins Canada's airlines in the effort to reopen travel and tourism across the country, safely and in a measured approach. At YVR, we are ready to welcome back all passengers to the airport and are committed to delivering a safe and seamless experience to our passengers who, thanks to Air Transat, now have another great destination to visit direct from Vancouver."

"Now that we can start travelling again, Air Transat is inviting people from Quebec City to discover Western Canada starting this summer," says Stéphane Poirier, President and CEO of Quebec City's Jean Lesage International Airport. "The addition of flights to Vancouver meets a demand expressed by the population for many years and is aligned with our objective to improve air service from Quebec City. We welcome Air Transat's confidence in our market. We hope that passengers will choose YQB as their departure point for their next trip."

The route will be operated by next-generation Airbus A321neoLR aircraft, which feature spacious cabins and state-of-the-art in-seat entertainment systems and have the lowest fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (CO2 and NOx) emissions in their class.

This summer, from Vancouver, Air Transat will also offer direct flights to Montreal and Toronto.