Ottawa travellers have a new option to fly non-stop to Europe starting today, as Air Canada takes off between Canada’s capital and London, England.
Air Canada launches its non-stop service between the Ottawa International Airport and London’s Heathrow Airport, with four flights a week.
The first Air Canada flight from London Heathrow Airport to Ottawa arrived in the capital at 4:18 p.m. The first flight out of Ottawa to London will depart at 6:55 p.m.
“People are very interested in having this non-stop ability to get to Europe and then beyond London when they get there because of the connections Air Canada has,” Susan Margles, Ottawa International Airport Authority president and CEO, told CTV News Ottawa.
“So we’re really excited to be able to respond to the community and try and meet some of the things that they’re looking for.”
Ottawa Tourism says it is “really excited” to welcome the new Ottawa-London service.
“London Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports,” Catherine Callary, Ottawa Tourism’s vice-president of Destination Development, said. “Not only does it make it easier for U.K. travellers to come and access Ottawa, but also from points all across Europe and the globe.”
This is the second overseas flight departing the Ottawa International Airport, with Air France operating service between Ottawa and Paris.
“Together with Ottawa residents and business owners, I’ve been calling for more direct flights to international destinations, including London,” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on social media.
“Thanks to the hard work of tourism and airport officials, we’re reaching a significant milestone on Monday, with the launch of the new Air Canada direct flight between Ottawa and London. I’ll be welcoming the first arrivals from London (Monday) afternoon. Thank you to everyone for voicing your support last year. Your input has been critical in making this happen, and it’s going to be great for our local economy.”
Sutcliffe told reporters the issue of connecting Ottawa to other cities on direct flights has been a main topic of conversation, and he is working with the Ottawa Airport and Ottawa Tourism to boost service.
“This is something that the community really cares about; people really wanted to see that flight re-established. I was very pleased when Air Canada announced it was launching this flight,” Sutcliffe said Monday.
“This is really, really important for our local economy, for businesses, for travellers. In terms of attracting events to our city, it’s vitally important that we have these kinds of connections. We have Paris now and London; we need to see more of these.”
Air Canada will operate flights four days a week between Ottawa and London on its Dreamliner fleet.
The flights will depart Ottawa for London on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The flights from London to Ottawa will also operate on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“I would anticipate flights are going to be pretty full,” Margles said. “And, you know, everybody’s hoping for that so that we can get even more frequency.”
Air Canada operated a non-stop flight from Ottawa to London Heathrow before the COVID-19 pandemic.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Dave Charbonneau
