First Air Canada flight lands in Brisbane

Minister for Tourism Kate Jones welcomed the first direct service between Canada and Queensland when Air Canada flight AC035 touched down in Brisbane today.

Ms Jones joined officials at Brisbane Airport to greet the inaugural daily flight which will bring up to 90,000 additional visitors from North America to Queensland over three years.

“The arrival of flight AC035 today is a significant milestone for Brisbane and Queensland as the first daily service between Brisbane and Vancouver,” she said.

“We expect this service to generate up to $56 million for the Queensland economy, connecting the state with a growing North American visitor market.

“North American visitors to Queensland grew to 261,000 in the year to March 2016, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year. These visitors spent more than $532 million during their travels in Queensland over that period which was an increase of 28 per cent.”

Ms Jones said the Palaszczuk Government was committed to supporting tourism in Queensland, promoting the state’s unique experiences and creating jobs.

“This is a vote of confidence for Queensland’s $23 billion tourism industry from a key international visitor market,” she said.

“These services are vital to growing the tourism industry by bringing people to the state, sharing our unique and amazing experiences and of course our incredible lifestyle.”

Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO and Managing Director Julieanne Alroe echoed the Minister’s comments saying the importance of today’s launch for tourism, business and the city and state’s economy could not be under-estimated.

“Canada-Australia business ties are of increasing significance with our two economies sharing many major industries, like mining, agriculture and tourism, but complementing each other by operating opposing growing and tourist seasons,” Ms Alroe said.

“Brisbane is a major gateway to Australia and we know that the majority of international travellers through Brisbane Airport travel on to other Queensland regions by road or via our extensive domestic flight network spanning every state and 42 destinations across Australia.”

“So a win for Brisbane Airport is a win for the greater region and the entire state of Queensland,” Ms Alroe said.

Media: Matt Jutsum 0408 998 940