Air Canada starts Dubai flights

Dubai: An Air Canada operated Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 landed at Dubai International on Wednesday marking the start of three weekly services from Toronto operated by the Canadian flag carrier.

It is the first time Air Canada and a 787-9 has flown to Dubai.

The Air Canada services come five years after a diplomatic spat broke out between the United Arab Emirates and Canada over traffic rights between the two countries.

The UAE’s two biggest carriers, Emirates and Etihad Airways, were blocked by the previous conservative Canadian government from flying more than three flights a week from their hubs to Toronto.

During the spat, the Canadian’s lost their military base in the UAE and visa restrictions were imposed on Canadian citizens.

The spat was widely perceived to have ended in 2013 when the countries' two Foreign Ministers eased and the UAE agreed to end visa restrictions on Canadians.

Royal Brunei started flights to Dubai with a 787-8, a smaller variant of the -9, in 2013.

Canada elected a new Liberal government elected on October 19 with the conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s party voted out of government.

There have been no comments on Canada-UAE flights from the new government.