Air Canada celebrated the launch of the very first scheduled flight between Montreal and Japan June 1.

Flights will operate year-round aboard AC’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, daily during the summer and three times a week during the winter.

Air Canada’s new transpacific service from its Montreal hub is designed to optimize connectivity to several Canadian and US cities – Quebec City, Ottawa, Halifax, Charlottetown, Boston, Philadelphia and Orlando.

“The launch of Montreal’s first scheduled link to Japan will also offer travellers from Atlantic Canada and the Northeastern US convenient access to Japan and beyond, complementing our existing Tokyo flights from Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, while also strategically positioning Air Canada as a leader in the growing Montreal-Asia market,” said Mark Galardo, vice-president, Network Planning at Air Canada.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante commented, “This is a first in Canadian aviation history. It brings our cities closer and paves the way to fruitful bilateral exchanges, whether commercial, personal, cultural, academic or touristic.”

In related news, Air Canada also launched new seasonal non-stop service from Montreal to Dublin, Ireland, over the weekend.

Flights are being operated until Oct. 12 using Air Canada’s newest single-aisle aircraft, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 featuring a Premium Economy and Economy cabin configuration.

Air Canada also offers Toronto-Shannon flights, up to daily non-stop Toronto-Dublin service, as well as seasonal non-stop Vancouver-Dublin service.