Air Canada’s cargo division has welcomed the news that the airline will resume flights to Tel Aviv earlier than it had planned.
The four-times-a-week service from Toronto will resume on 30 November using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Departures from Toronto are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from Tel Aviv on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
The flights were suspended as a result of the conflict in the Middle East and were previously planned to return in mid-January.
Air Canada Cargo said the flights would provide customers with cargo capacity, flexibility and connectivity between Israel, Canada and destinations across Air Canada’s global network.
“The earlier return of Air Canada’s Tel Aviv service provides our customers with predictable capacity, network connectivity and flexibility for shipments moving between Israel, Canada and destinations across our global network,” said Matthieu Casey, managing director – commercial at Air Canada Cargo.
“This route supports important trade flows and gives shippers reliable access to a broad range of markets through our Toronto hub.”
The cargo division added that the service would likely prove popular with customers moving time-sensitive, high-value, healthcare, technology and e-commerce.
The decision was made after “a thorough review of the security environment in the Middle East”, the airline said.
While the airline has decided to advance the return of its flights to Tel Aviv, its operations to Dubai will remain suspended until mid-January.
Air Canada joins a growing list of airlines in announcing plans to resume flights to the Middle East following a widespread withdrawal from the region in the wake of the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran in late February.
Dutch carrier KLM plans to reinstate flights to Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh at the start of the winter season, after suspending the routes earlier this year due to the Middle East conflict.
Elsewhere in Europe, Wizz Air said earlier this month that it would progressively restore 12 routes to the Middle East this winter.
