0 in '14 to 48 now: Demand rises for non-stop flights between India, Canada

India and Canada's decision earlier this week to sign an open skies pact, allowing their carriers to operate unlimited services between the two countries, is in line with the rise in demand that has been observed in the last 7 years for non-stop flights between the two countries.

There were no non-stop flights between the two countries in 2014. This has risen to 48 in 2022.

Also, according to aviation analytics company Cirium, the average one-way basic fare (excluding taxes) on India-Canada non-stop flights has risen from $549 in April 2022 to $640 in August 2022. While high fuel prices due to the Ukraine-Russia war have played their part, airfares have also risen due to high demand for non-stop flights between the two countries.

"Recent data indicates that just under 30 per cent of the Canada-India passenger market now travels on direct services, which is higher than it was prior to the pandemic," Canadian Transport Minister's Office spokesperson told Business Standard. The remaining 70 per cent travel to Canada generally on one-stop flights either through the Gulf nations, or the European countries.

Over 1.5 million passengers flew between India and Canada in 2019, the spokesperson noted. Between January-August this year, more than 1 million persons have travelled between the two countries, the spokesperson added.

Open skies agreement between the two countries will especially benefit Air India as Canadian carriers face challenges due to prohibition on their use of Russian airspace. Air India is planning to boost its fleet size by placing an order for wide-body aircraft, which will have the fuel tank capacity to travel on long-haul routes such as India-Canada.

The bilateral air services agreement -- which was in place before open skies agreement -- allowed Indian and Canadian carriers to operate 35 weekly flights each (maximum 70 weekly flights cumulatively). Under the new agreement, Indian carriers will get access to Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver and two other cities to be selected by India.

Canadian carriers will be allowed to fly to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai. Amritsar has not been included as a point of call for Canadian carriers despite demands from passengers from both sides.

“Minister Omar Alghabra understands the importance of direct flights to Amritsar to many Canadians who want to visit family and friends in the region. This is an issue he has raised with his Indian counterpart. The minister will continue to remain engaged with his counterparts to discuss further expansion of the agreement,” the spokesperson said.

India is the top source of immigrants for Canada. Indians accounted for 18.6 per cent of the total number of immigrants who shifted to Canada between 2016 and 2021, according to the census data released last month. More than 246,000 Indians immigrated to Canada in this 5-year period.