After 14 years—Air Canada’s inaugural Taipei–Vancouver flight takes off with 96% passenger load

▲ Air Canada’s inaugural Vancouver–Taipei flight arrives at Taoyuan Airport today.

Reported and photographed by Yu Jiayun / Taoyuan Airport

After 14 years, Air Canada’s maple leaf aircraft is back in action—The airline’s first non-stop Vancouver–Taipei flight landed at Taoyuan Airport, where a traditional water salute marked a warm welcome. The inaugural direct Taipei–Vancouver flight departed punctually at 15:55 and achieved an impressive 96% occupancy rate. Timothy Liu, Senior Commercial Strategy Director at Air Canada, personally greeted passengers upon arrival and distributed adorable commemorative teddy bears as souvenirs. Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau also sent out the Electric King and Queen of the Gods (Taishang Dadi) to act as official greeters, presenting specially crafted Taiwanese tea sets to first-flight travelers as tokens of welcome—a heartfelt gesture symbolizing Taiwan’s warm invitation to more visitors from afar.

▲ Taoyuan Airport performs a water salute for Air Canada’s inaugural flight.

Timothy Liu, Senior Commercial Strategy Director at Air Canada, said: “Taiwan is one of the markets we value most, and as we celebrate Air Canada’s 80th anniversary, we’re proud to offer the Taipei–Vancouver route as a special gift for our Taiwanese passengers. The flight will be operated on our brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner—the latest model in our global fleet—and comes with eight key advantages: the highest availability of flights to and from North America, convenient U.S. entry via Vancouver Airport, Canada’s most extensive domestic route network, optimal timing with afternoon departures and early returns, the most attentive concierge service at Taoyuan Airport, and unbeatable fares. Together, these make this route the best new option for travelers flying from Taiwan to the Americas!”

▲ Timothy Liu, Senior Commercial Strategy Director at Air Canada (left), with fellow dignitaries.

▲ A special welcome gift presented by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau.

▲ Passengers just off the plane excitedly pose with the Taishang Dadi.

Air Canada also reminds travelers that its exclusive web-only inaugural promo runs until 23:59 on June 18. By entering the promo code “TWMRT17” when booking a flight departing from Taiwan on the Air Canada website, customers can enjoy round-trip economy class fares starting from TWD 17,600 (excluding tax) or luxury economy class fares starting from TWD 38,100 (excluding tax), valid for travel up to March 31, 2018 (with departures required by December 31, 2017). Limited promotional seats are available per flight—visit www.aircanada.com for more booking details.