TORONTO — Air Canada is expanding its seasonal service to Ireland with new nonstop flights from Toronto to Shannon and between Montreal and Dublin starting in summer 2018.

The flights will be operated using Air Canada’s newest single-aisle aircraft, the B737 Max 8 with a business and economy cabin configuration.

Flight AC820 departs Toronto at 10 p.m., arriving in Shannon at 9:30 a.m. The return flight departs Shannon at 10:30 a.m., arriving in Toronto at 12:45 p.m.

From Montreal, flight AC818 heads out at 9:15 p.m., arriving in Dublin at 8:25 a.m. On the return, flight AC819 leaves Dublin at 10:20 a.m., arriving in Montreal at 12 p.m. Both the Shannon flights and Dublin flights operate four days a week.

“With the right aircraft for the right market, Air Canada appears to have the luck of the Irish and we want to share it with our customers,” said Benjamin Smith, President Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. “Beginning summer 2018, we will capitalize on the growing traffic between Canada and Ireland and launch two new routes to Ireland, Toronto to Shannon and Montreal to Dublin.”

Air Canada is also enhancing its nonstop Toronto-Dublin service by increasing weekly frequencies to four from three, including daily service next summer, and transitioning it to Air Canada mainline from Air Canada Rouge.

Amenities include fully lie flat suites in International Business Class, a Premium Economy cabin and seatback in-flight entertainment throughout, all onboard A330s.

Air Canada is also resuming its seasonal Vancouver-Dublin nonstop service in summer 2018 on an expanded basis, with up to five flights weekly between the two cities.

The increased service provides a major boost for both leisure and business tourism from Canada to the island of Ireland, says Dana Welch, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Canada. “We are excited about the new routes and expansion of existing Air Canada service. Tourism Ireland looks forward to working closely with Air Canada and the Shannon and Dublin airports to drive demand for the new flights. As an island destination, the importance of convenient, direct, nonstop flights cannot be overstated – they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism.”