Air Canada direct flights between Yellowknife and Vancouver to return in September
Service ends April 1, but popular route will return in fall for longer run
After taking the summer off, Air Canada has confirmed its Yellowknife to Vancouver route will return in September.
This season, the company has been offering direct flights between the two cities from Dec. 15, 2017 until April 1. This fall, the service would begin on Sept. 5, making it two months longer than its past season.
Cathie Bolstad, executive director of Northwest Territories Tourism, says this year's flights were a huge boost for tourism.
"This is the end of a very busy season for our tour operators in the Northwest Territories and they're exhausted," she said.
"The flight [from Air Canada] has performed very well. They've confirmed with us they're coming back in September to April … because of the performance of that flight."
Bolstad said the territory is seeing a growth in the aurora tourism from Korea, Japan and China.
In a press release from Dec. 16, 2017, Air Canada's president of passenger airlines Benjamin Smith said the route would "meet the growing demand for travel to Canada's Northwest Territories from Asia."
The route will be offered on a Bombardier CRJ-705 jet aircraft.
The flights will run until April 2019.
With files from Claudia Samson