Emirates & Air Canada extend partnership with multi-year agreement

Emirates and Air Canada have agreed to extend and expand their strategic partnership through a new multi-year commitment that will run until the end of 2032. The airlines said the renewed agreement builds on the momentum of their collaboration, which began in 2022 and has served more than 550,000 customers across 56 codeshare routes linking Canada, the U.S., Dubai and other global destinations.

The memorandum of understanding will maintain their reciprocal codeshare and loyalty programmes while enabling deeper cooperation across passenger and cargo services. Both airlines said the expansion could support new Canadian gateways within the codeshare network.

Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer and President, Cargo at Air Canada, said, “Air Canada’s partnership with Emirates has been highly successful, and we are proud to renew it early, expanding its scope and extending its duration through 2032. This agreement strengthens our international strategy by supporting our daily, year-round service between Toronto and Dubai and providing customers and shippers seamless connections to destinations across the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.”

Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, said, “Our strategic partnership with Air Canada has delivered exceptional results, and we are pleased to extend this collaboration through 2032. This agreement strengthens our passenger and cargo capabilities, enabling us to enhance customer experiences on codeshare flights while expanding network connectivity for travellers across both markets.”

He added that the partnership has supported trade growth between the UAE and Canada and that enhanced cargo cooperation will remain a priority.

The airlines said the agreement will offer new customer benefits, including improved priority services for eligible passengers and closer operational alignment. Both carriers are preparing for the eventual transition of operations to Dubai World Central after 2032.

The codeshare network now connects Emirates customers to 37 destinations across Canada and the U.S., with recent additions including Toronto to Minneapolis, Montréal to Calgary, and Vancouver to Los Angeles. Air Canada codeshares on 19 Emirates routes to the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Southeast Asia. Their interline agreement gives access to more than 225 destinations worldwide.

Mary-Jane Lorette, Vice President International Affairs, Network and Partnerships at Air Canada, said, “Partnerships are one of the most powerful engines of growth in our business, and our collaboration with Emirates is a perfect example. Since launching in 2022, more than half-a-million customers, almost 500 every single day, have seamlessly connected across our combined networks.”

Since 2022, Air Canada has moved its Dubai operations to Terminal 3 at Dubai International, allowing eligible customers access to Emirates lounges and facilities. Their loyalty programmes, Aeroplan and Skywards, offer reciprocal earning and redemption benefits, with plans to expand into Premium Economy cabins.

Air Canada operates daily Boeing 787 services between Toronto and Dubai. Emirates flies its A380 daily to Toronto and operates seven weekly Boeing 777 flights to Montréal. Both carriers position the partnership as a driver of tourism and global connectivity.

Growing air links have supported rising trade between Canada and the UAE. Bilateral trade increased by 14 per cent from 2022 to 2023, with Canadian exports reaching CAD 3.3 billion in 2024. Emirates reported a 37 per cent year-on-year increase in cargo tonnage from Canada.