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On Dec. 7, 2016, Toronto Pearson International Airport welcomed the inaugural flight from its newest carrier, China Southern. The arrival of flight CSN311 marked the beginning of a new, non-stop, route from Guangzhou, China to Toronto Pearson, operating three times a week.
To celebrate the occasion, Toronto Pearson hosted an event in Terminal 3, which was attended by airport officials, China Southern Airlines officials and VIP guests.
“We are pleased to be welcoming China Southern to the Toronto Pearson family of carriers and know that the addition of their service will add great value for our passengers,” said Howard Eng, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. “As the second largest North American airport in terms of international traffic, expanding our global network to include Guangzhou, China will help our passengers reach a growing percentage of the world’s economy.”
For Canadian businesses, China Southern’s Toronto-Guangzhou route will provide convenient, direct access to China’s third largest city and an important manufacturing hub, the Pearl River Delta. For travellers, the new route will open up access to southern China and offer a one-stop option for passage to South Asian countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Toronto Pearson forecasts the demand for air travel to China will grow by 100 per cent in the next four years, with passenger traffic from Toronto to China expected to reach 1.6 million by 2016.
The new service will use a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with a capacity of four first class seats, 34 business class seats, 44 premium economy seats and 227 economy seats.
