MONTREAL — Air Transat has launched its new service between Quebec City and London-Gatwick, its second nonstop service to Europe.

Flight TS492, which departed May 11 for the first time, will be offered weekly on Wednesdays from Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) and Thursdays from London-Gatwick (LGW), until late September. Flights will be onboard the new-generation Airbus A321neoLR, which is 15% more fuel efficient, 50% less noisy and lowers emissions of the greenhouse gas NOx by half compared to previous generation aircraft.

“With this new flight to London, Air Transat becomes the only carrier to offer our loyal travellers in the Quebec City area a second direct connection to Europe, after Paris, making it easier than ever for them to plan their vacations,” says Joseph Adamo, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Transat. “We are the first carrier to fly internationally out of Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport where we have been operating flights since our inception nearly 35 years ago.”

Stéphanie Poirier, President and CEO of YQB, added: “The people of the Greater Québec City area have been calling for access to more European destinations. By offering a second direct route to Europe, in addition to Paris, Air Transat is answering that call. As Air Transat chooses to invest in our market, we now hope that passengers will come back throughout the summer, proving to the airline that they were right to put their trust in us.”

Air Transat’s new route comes just in time for several high-profile events taking place this year in Britain, including Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Unboxed 2022, a wide-scale celebration of creativity.

“It is terrific to see this new service from Quebec City to London Gatwick, providing a timely boost to travel as we welcome Canadian visitors back to Britain,” says Paul Gauger, Senior Vice President Americas, VisitBritain. “2022 is an incredibly exciting year for U.K. tourism, offering visitors once-in-a-lifetime experiences that they can only have in the U.K.”