MONTREAL — Air Canada is celebrating the launch of its newest Pacific route: Vancouver to Singapore.

The first flight departed Vancouver (YVR) on April 3 and arrived in  (SIN) the following morning, marking the only nonstop flight between Canada and the island country. Stretching 12,818 kilometres, the route is Air Canada’s longest flight measured by distance, with a flying time of up to 16 hours and five minutes.

“Air Canada is thrilled to welcome customers onboard our newest route linking Canada and Singapore from our Pacific hub in Vancouver. These new Singapore flights are part of our strategic expansion at YVR, which together with an efficient and seamless in-transit connection process, further position the airport as the preferred North American gateway to Asia,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada.

“Singapore is also an important gateway to beyond destinations. Customers have a multitude of connection options travelling to Southeast Asia, Southern India and Western Australia with our longstanding codeshare and Star Alliance partner, Singapore Airlines,” he added.

The Vancouver-Singapore route is operated with Boeing 787-Dreamliners featuring three cabins: Air Canada Signature Class with lie-flat individual pods, Premium Economy with larger seats, additional leg room and premium services, and Economy with complimentary meals, wines and beverages. All cabins have award-winning in-flight entertainment. Customers can also purchase Wi-Fi connectivity, while all Air Canada Aeroplan members enjoy free texting onboard Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft.

The flight schedule is as follows:

• Flight AC19 from YVR to SIN departs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 00:05, arriving at 07:10+1 day (launched April 3)
• Flight AC20 from SIN to YVR departs Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 09:10, arriving at 08:55 (launching April 4)