An Air Canada jet is heading to Bangkok from Vancouver, the flag carrier announced on Friday (Dec. 2), marking what would be a commercial aviation landmark.
When it touches down in the Thai capital on Saturday morning, the flight will have been the first to go non-stop from North America to the south-east Asian nation.
"These flights will allow more travellers to get to their destinations, and will promote growth and prosperity for both Canadian and Thailand's travel industries," said Canadian transport minister Omar Alghabra.
Tamara Vrooman, president and chief executive of Vancouver Airport Authority, said the connection would "provide passengers with incredible tourism options and a broad range of business opportunities in the region".
Thailand is the second-biggest economy in south-east Asia after Indonesia and usually draws the most tourists each year of the region's 11 countries, with Malaysia next.
Before the coronavirus pandemic and related travel curbs, tourism made up around 10% of Thailand's GDP. But in common with much of Asia, the government was slow, relative to Europe and North America, to reopen the border to visitors.