Air Canada has announced that it will launch a new route that connects Vancouver (YVR) and Singapore (SIN) next year. The year-round service is set to begin on April 3, 2024 (subject to government approval), and will operate four-times weekly.

This route will become the sole direct service between Canada and Singapore, as Singapore Airlines is set to discontinue its route between Vancouver (YVR) and Singapore (SIN) later on this year.

Air Canada’s New Vancouver–Singapore Route

Air Canada’s latest route announcement is for a service between Vancouver (YVR) and Singapore (SIN). The route is set to commence on April 3, 2024, and will operate on a year-round basis.

The westbound flight from Vancouver is scheduled to run just under 16 hours, while the eastbound flight to Vancouver clocks in at 14 hours 35 minutes. 

Flights are scheduled to depart from Vancouver on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, while flights departing from Singapore are scheduled to depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The flight times are as follows:

• AC19 Vancouver (YVR) to Singapore (SIN), departing 12:15am and arriving 07:10am the next day
• AC20 Singapore (SIN) to Vancouver (YVR), departing 9:10am and arriving 8:45am

With a departure time just after midnight, passengers departing from Canada or the United States will enjoy easy connectivity to Vancouver and onward to Singapore with a single connection. Similarly, the return flight is scheduled to arrive in Vancouver just before 9am, which offers passengers plenty of options for returning home to elsewhere in North America.

Passengers on a paid business class ticket, or on an Aeroplan ticket booked on a Business Class (Flexible) fare, will enjoy access to the Air Canada Signature Suite in Vancouver prior to their flight. 

As for flights that arrive in Singapore, passengers can head onward to destinations in Western Australia, South India, and throughout South East Asia on Singapore Airlines’s vast network. 

The route will be served by Air Canada’s flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The three-class aircraft offers business class, premium economy, and economy cabins.

The flights are already loaded and bookable through Air Canada’s sales channels, including the Air Canada website and the Aeroplan search engine.

Booking Air Canada’s New Vancouver–Singapore Route

If you wish to redeem points for a flight on this new route, the first place to look is Aeroplan. Air Canada’s own loyalty program lets you book every available seat using points, with the caveat being that it uses dynamic pricing, which can be quite costly.

According to Great Circle Mapper, the flight between Vancouver and Singapore measures just shy of 8,000 miles. To get an idea of how much the flight might cost in points, we’d then reference the third distance band on the “Between North America and Pacific zones” section of the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart. 

In theory, you should expect to pay at least 50,000–90,000 points for a one-way flight in economy, 70,000–160,000 points for a one-way flight in premium economy, or 85,000–200,000 points for a one-way flight in business class.

In practice, since Aeroplan uses a dynamic pricing model for Air Canada flights, you can expect to pay more than the lower end of the published range, especially when it comes to business class.

For example, for the first two months of the flight’s operation, the lowest cost for a one-way flight in business class between the two cities is 231,800 Aeroplan points, which is already higher than the published upper end of the dynamic spectrum.

The price jumps all the way up to over 300,000 points on some dates.

If you happen to have Aeroplan Elite Status, and therefore access to eUpgrades, you’ll want to keep an eye out for eUpgrade availability on this route. Doing so can be a way to secure a seat in business class without being subject to astronomical pricing.

Otherwise, you can also look to book a flight with Singapore Airlines via hubs in the United States. If you’re able to find an award seat, you’ll pay just 87,500 points for a one-way flight in business class.

Conclusion

Starting April 3, 2024, Air Canada plans to fly from Vancouver to Singapore four-times weekly. The route will operate year-round, and will become the lone direct connection between Canada and Singapore. 

Passengers are able to book seats on the route already, either using Aeroplan points or cash. 

Indeed, this is expected to be a premium-heavy and in-demand route. Be sure to keep an eye out for eUpgrade availability, and leverage your Aeroplan Elite Status accordingly.