Air Canada Celebrates 50 Years Of Flying Between Montreal And Paris, Adds Second Daily Non-Stop Flight

Two beavers marked the official inauguration of Air Canada's passenger air service between Montréal and Paris as the airline, then known as Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), touched down in Paris on April 1, 1951 to much fanfare and celebration.

The historic occasion was duly marked by a very special gift exchange. The Canadian Government offered the City of Paris a pair of beavers, Valentine and Baptiste, which settled happily in Paris' Vincennes Zoo. In exchange, the City of Paris offered the City of Montréal a cage of famous French skylarks or 'alouettes'.

The first flight was also the first Canadian air link with continental Europe and it set the stage for an unprecedented boom in tourism, trade and travel across the Atlantic.

"For over five decades, Air Canada's Montréal-Paris service has been instrumental in forging strong links between Canada and France," said Danielle Poudrette, Vice President, Marketing. "The inauguration of the route represents an important chapter in the airline's history as the Montréal-Paris service has become an ongoing success for the airline with close to 100,000 customers a year travelling between the two cities today. That's why we are delighted to offer our customers a second daily flight starting in June for the peak summer travel period."

Back in April 1951, weekly passenger service from Montréal to Paris' Orly International Airport was operated with 40-seat DC-4M "North Star" propeller aircraft. Flight time was 14 hours with stops in Reykjavik for fuel and London Heathrow. Today, a non-stop flight from Montréal to Paris Charles de Gaulle takes six hours and 45 minutes on one of Air Canada's state-of-the-art 292- passenger A330 aircraft featuring the airline's acclaimed Executive First and Hospitality service.

To celebrate 50 years of flying to the City of Light, Air Canada is offering double Aeroplan miles to customers travelling between Montréal and Paris from April 1 to April 30, 2001. The airline is also holding a special contest for Aeroplan members with a chance to win two of 50 Executive First tickets from Canada to Paris.

Following is Air Canada's new schedule between Montréal and Paris as of June 15 until September 30, 2001:

Montréal Paris Paris Montréal

AC870 (A330) 1930 0815 AC871 (A330) 1050 1230

AC836 (B767) 2145 1030 AC837 (B767) 1450 1635

Moreover, Air Canada opened a new Maple Leaf Lounge at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris in October 2000. The spacious lounge offers travellers a quiet and comfortable area to work or relax prior to their flight. In addition, Aeroplan Super Elite members and Executive First customers travelling between Montréal and Paris now enjoy Air Canada's superior and personalized Concierge Service available at both airports since January 15, 2001.