Air Canada, Air China Sign Codeshare JV

Air Canada and Air China have signed a joint venture agreement to increase commercial cooperation on flights between Canada and China.

The agreement, signed in Beijing, is the first between a Chinese and North American airline. It will expand on the existing codeshare relationship between the flag carriers on domestic flights in the two countries.

“The Sino-Canada market is one of the important long-haul markets to Air China, which has been developed rapidly in recent years with an increase of 17.8 percent in 2017,” Air China’s chairman Jianjiang Cai said.

It will “provide more flexible flight choices, favourable fare products and seamless travel experiences for customers,” he added.

Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu said the airline had served China for more than 30 years, and had increased its average annual capacity growth by 12.5 percent over five years.

He said the airline has USD$2 billion of aircraft assets currently committed on routes between Canada and China.