TOKYO (Reuters) – Air Canada is anticipating a requirement for flights between Canada and the Asia-Pacific to get well to a close to pre-pandemic stage by December subsequent yr, a prime regional government stated on Saturday.

At present, the routes between Canada and the Asia-Pacific run at 30% of the 2019 capability, however the capability is anticipated to double by the tip of December, stated Kiyo Weiss, the airline’s gross sales director for the Asia-Pacific.

The airline can also be contemplating including flights to a brand new vacation spot within the Asia-Pacific within the close to future to cater for pent-up demand in leisure journey, she stated.

“Most likely we’ll decide inside a month or so,” Weiss stated, with out offering additional particulars.

Canada’s largest provider is looking for to reinforce its presence within the area to fulfill excessive demand, notably from Southeast Asian international locations, as the realm recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline on Saturday resumed direct flights between Montreal and Tokyo’s Narita airport that had been disrupted by the pandemic.