Emirates to Expand to Montreal Starting in July

[DXB,YUL]

The Dubai-based hub-and-spoke airline Emirates is set to expand its global network in July to include the Canadian city of Montreal. The opening of the Montreal route has come just a month after Emirates announcement of another summer route to Bali.

Emirates' new Dubai (DXB) to Montreal (YUL) route is set to be operated on a daily basis

On this novel route between its mega-hub Dubai Int'l  (DXB) and Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau (YUL) Int'l, Emirates is set to deploy its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. According to the airline, the aircraft will offer "...a premium travel experience across its cabins...". 

Emirates' Boeing 777-300ERs have the capacity to hold up to 354 passengers across a three-class configuration made up of 8 first-class suites, 42 lie-flat business class, and 304 economy seats.

While this route is expected to operate year-round, the departure and arrival times of the inbound and arriving flights to Montreal and Dubai will slightly change between the summer and winter seasons. Here is the full (summer and winter schedule) for Emirates' new Montreal route:

*All departure/arrival times are in LOCAL time

** Next day arrival 

Due to winds, the outbound flight (EK 243) from Dubai to Montreal is expected to take approximately 13 hours and 30 minutes. This is 1 hour and 20 minutes longer than the inbound flight (EK 244) back to Dubai, which is expected to take only 12 hours and 10 minutes.

Of all Canadian cities, why Montreal? 

The launch of the new service comes amid the attempt to strengthen political and economic ties between the countries of Canada and the United Arab Emirates, of which Emirates is the de-facto flag carrier.

The United Arab Emirates is Canada's primary export market in the Middle East and North Africa, with trade between the two nations increasing to over $1.92 billion (USD) in the fiscal year 2022. This is a 53% increase from 2017. According to Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, Canada was among the top 20 "source markets" for tourism in Dubai in 2022. 

Air Canada - Emirates Partnership 

Despite Emirates not being a member of any airline alliance, it has recently signed an interline agreement (essentially a partnership) with Air Canada that allows passengers on both airlines to transfer between and book flights on either airline in the agreement. This interline agreement allows Emirates customers access to 140 destinations through Air Canada flights and Air Canada customers access to 130 destinations through Emirates flights. 

Members of both loyalty programs (Aero Plan and Skywards) can earn miles on either airline's codeshare flights. Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau Int'l Airport (YUL) is one of Air Canada's largest hubs, with the airline flying to 85 destinations from Montreal. Of these 85 destinations, only 68 will be available to passengers who bought a ticket on Emirates and are transferring to Air Canada.

Statement On Behalf of Emirates 

In the press release announcing the new route, a comment from Emirates' Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim stated:

“...We have been serving customers with passenger and cargo services to Toronto for over 15 years and when we begin services to Montréal in July, customers will have more choice planning their travel...We would like to thank the UAE and Canadian authorities for the enhanced agreements which have made this new destination possible...”

Tickets for the novel Dubai to Montreal route have already gone on sale on Emirates' website, with prices starting at around $1,090 USD for a one-way ticket on the 12-hour flight to Dubai. Round-trip tickets start at around $1,700 USD (three weeks between departure and arrival).