Air Canada Begins Non-Stop Flights From Vancouver to Thailand

A vital route between North America and one of Asia’s busiest hubs Bangkok, Thailand, has been re-established after a decade-long hiatus. Passengers can fly nonstop from Air Canada’s base in Vancouver to Thailand, avoiding lengthy, unnecessary layovers in other countries.

Furthermore, they are not subject to any health restrictions while flying on the Air Canada direct flight.

For over two years, Canadians were forced to live in fear as Prime Minister Trudeau resorted to the most draconian measures to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, including banning unvaccinated people from flying.

Fortunately, Trudeau’s draconian mandates are mostly over, and now that normalcy has returned, demand for Southeast Asian travel is at an all-time high.

After a ten-year hiatus, nonstop flights between North America and Bangkok, Thailand’s capital and one of the world’s top tourist destinations, are back in service, though no mega-hubs in the United States were preferred this time. Instead, the departure point was chosen to be Vancouver International (YVR) in Canada.

On December 1, at exactly 11 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Air Canada flight AC65 took off on a 15h55min journey to Bangkok (BKK), arriving at 5:55 a.m. local time on December 3.

It was the first flight between Canada and Thailand, ushering in a new era of North American-Southeast Asian connectivity.

Flights will depart on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner four times weekly between December 2022 and April 2023.

Air Canada’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management, Mark Galardo, said they are “extremely pleased” to launch their first nonstop service to Southeast Asia on December 1.

Thai Airways International, Thailand’s national carrier, previously operated Los Angeles-Bangkok flights, but these were discontinued in 2012. Air Canada is the only airline in North America to fly directly to Thailand.

Canadians flying to Bangkok from Vancouver via Air Canada are no longer subject to health screenings or any of the old difficult-to-meet requirements:

• Thailand does not require vaccination certificates for entry.
• There will be no pre-departure tests, regardless of immunization status
• There are no post-arrival testing requirements.
• The quarantine programs have been phased out
• Masks were no longer required as of June.

Canadians can stay in Thailand as tourists for up to 60 days.

Despite the relaxed atmosphere, Canadians must still follow Thai immigration rules. While they do not require a pre-departure visa to board their flight to Bangkok, they should be aware that visits to Thailand are limited to 60 days, though immigration officers usually grant Canadian passport holders a 30-day entry stamp at the airport.

Those who want to stay longer must apply for a 30-day extension at a local immigration office in Bangkok or another province where they are available. Residents of Canada who are not Canadian citizens must confirm their eligibility for visa-free travel to Thailand in advance.

More information on Thai visas can be found here.