Toronto–Mumbai get closer

The city’s travel trade couldn’t be more excited about Air Canada’s Mumbai-Toronto-Mumbai direct non-stop service, which launched recently. This is what they had to say.

Sunil Bijlani, Founding Partner & CEO, Vacation World

This is a landmark event. Flying directly to Toronto will be a highlight for the holidaymakers to Canada. Nothing could boost the traffic figures more than this – both ways. Travellers from Mumbai to Toronto could also fly to Vancouver post October and fly back from Vancouver to Delhi and then back to Mumbai. Canada is still a virgin destination for the India market and Air Canada was not in the Mumbai market for a long time. With this flight, India and specially the western region stand to benefit. I now hope for a Mumbai-to-Vancouver flight so that reaching the Canadian Rockies, Banff and surrounding areas becomes easier.

Karan Anand, Head – Relationships, Cox & Kings

This is a fantastic opportunity not just for Air Canada but also for tourism and for business between India and Canada. The more airlifts and connectivity we have out of India, the better it is for everyone concerned. It will benefit our economy and improve ties with Canada and help strengthen our friendship. Whenever there is a direct flight, there is automatically a vast clientele, the FIT as well as the business travellers, even high-end groups and families that love direct flights. The Canadian Tourism Board has been very active in India for many years now and doing a successful job and this is a reflection of that hard work.

Louis D’Souza, Executive Director, Tamarind Global

This is wonderful news and with this new capacity, we really see our business grow for both inbound and outbound. It is a wonderful opportunity to tap into the leisure segment that comes in all the way from Canada as well as for the travellers going from Mumbai to Toronto and onwards. We wish all the best to Air Canada. Canada has an interesting mix of ethnic Indians and Canadians and we hope to tap into this mix to explore both Indians visiting the country for the first time as well as Indians who have moved to Canada, as well as Canadians who want to explore the beauty of India.

Manjula Godia, Owner, Varun Worldwide Vacations

I am very excited about this new Mumbai-Toronto direct flight. Not only will this save a lot of time of the passengers but Air Canada is also a preferred airline for the high-end clientele that we cater to. I particularly like Air Canada as an airline and I am sure it will meet the expectation of the luxury clientele. As a destination, Canada will benefit from this new flight as Indian travellers will not have to depend on connecting flights.