Emirates is stepping up its frequency between Canada and the United Arab Emirates with two additional flights per week between Dubai and Toronto. The move to daily service, starting April 20, follows the announcement last week of an expanded air transport agreement between the two countries.

The enhanced service also follows last year’s codeshare agreement with Air Canada, which offers seamless connections from Canadian gateways to Emirates’ expansive network of over 130 destinations via its hub in Dubai.

Emirates operates its flagship A380 aircraft on the Dubai-Toronto route, allowing 491 passengers across Economy, Business, and First classes on each flight.

With the two additional flights per week, the carrier will offer close to 2,000 additional seats to serve the busy route, representing a 40% increase in capacity between its hub city of Dubai and the Canadian point.

The Dubai-Toronto route is highly popular amongst customers from India, UAE, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka, while the same countries represent top destinations for travellers from Toronto.

Hailing the development as a crucial one for the airline, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim observed that “business ties between Canada and the UAE have grown significantly over the years and the expanded air services will help to further nurture business and trade.

“The expansion of air services,” he added, “is also an affirmation of the growing importance of the UAE to Canada’s global connectivity…”

Emirates launched Toronto-Dubai service in 2007 and the double-decker A380 aircraft has been operating the route since 2009.

According to the airline demand arising from both leisure and corporate travellers, along with diaspora and students, has consistently outstripped the allocated capacity.