In a highly intriguing development, Air Canada will stop flying between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and the important Star Alliance hub of Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). Having only relaunched flights in spring 2024, Aeroroutes shows that the final departure will be in early 2027.

Once the last service takes place, Air Canada will fly from Canada to 15 destinations in Asia-Pacific (17 if you’d like to include the Middle East). It will begin flights to Sapporo in December, with service to Guangzhou taking place next May. Will another city in Asia join its network in 2027?

Air Canada Is Ending Singapore Flights

Credit: OAG

Canada’s largest airline has a reasonably long history of serving SIN, having flown there for years until 1991. OAG data shows that flights resumed on April 3, 2024, which was influenced by Singapore Airlines pulling out in September 2023. Singapore Airlines flew to YVR until 2009 and returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, when flights were often tagged with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

Entering so-called ready-made markets after the exit of another operator is not just for short-haul routes. However, it does not mean that the successor will be successful. Air Canada’s final departure from its Pacific hub of YVR to SIN will take place on January 24, 2027, less than three years after the airline returned to Lion City. It is unlikely that Singapore Airlines will resume flights to British Columbia.

Operating five times weekly using the 298-seat Boeing 787-9, Air Canada’s schedule for the final week is shown below. As the figure above indicates, the late evening departure from YVR is part of one of the carrier’s core Asia-Pacific-bound departure banks. This is, of course, all about feeding those routes with passengers from across North America. The 7:45 AM arrival is timed like that for the same reason.

It Is Currently Air Canada’s Longest Nonstop Service

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

With a maximum block time of 16 hours and 45 minutes, YVR-SIN is Air Canada’s longest nonstop operation in the upcoming northern winter season. However, when flights end, service from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport back to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) will become number one. Influenced by avoiding Russian, Ukrainian, and Iranian airspace, that very long route is timed at up to 16 hours and 25 minutes.

Focusing on YVR, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) will become Air Canada’s longest nonstop link from the airline’s Pacific hub, timed as it is at up to 16 hours and 15 minutes. Air Canada began flying to the Thai capital in 2022 and the route appears to have gone from strength to strength, as the number of seats for sale are at a record level in winter 2026/2027.

Where Air Canada’s Singapore Passengers Went

Credit: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock

Let’s narrow the focus to the 12 months to July 2026. In this period, Air Canada had 134,008 round-trip seats for sale between YVR and SIN. It is estimated that the route had a load factor of approximately 88%. As always, this says nothing of the fares needed to achieve it, especially given the highly expensive nature of the ultra-long-haul service. As the route is ending, Air Canada was clearly unhappy with the performance, whether financial or network contribution or both, relative to what else could be done with the aircraft.

Data from OAG Traffic Analyzer suggests that 24% of passengers only flew between YVR and SIN; they did not go elsewhere. 11% originated or ended in YVR and connected to another flight in SIN, with YVR-SIN-DEL being number one. 25% of passengers transited to another service in both YVR and SIN, with Winnipeg-YVR-SIN-Manila being the most popular market.

Finally, 40% of passengers began or ceased their journey in SIN and connected from across North America via YVR to reach Lion City. YYZ-YVR-SIN was the top market, followed by Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, and Ottawa to/from SIN. Seven in ten passengers only flew to/from Canada, with Denver being the largest US market.