Air Canada adds fuel stops on Delhi route

Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) has introduced a fuel stop on its hitherto non-stop service from Vancouver Int’l to Delhi Int’l due to a now necessary detour around Russian airspace.

Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows that the daily B787-9 service started landing in Ireland on February 27 (the flight on February 26 was cancelled). What used to be a 14-hour non-stop flight is now two sectors of around nine and around eight hours each with an additional 1.5-2 hours stop in Ireland. Air Canada had operated via the Northern Polar route, which requires crossing Russian airspace. Air Canada services to India from Montréal Trudeau and Toronto Pearson continue as non-stop routes.

The only direct competitor, Air India (AI, Mumbai Int’l), continues to fly the same route non-stop, using B777-300(ER)s, as Indian airlines are not banned from Russian airspace.

United Airlines (UA, Chicago O’Hare) previously suspended its services from San Francisco, CA to Delhi Int’l and from New York Newark to Mumbai Int’l as they were not viable without transiting Russia.

The Kremlin has reciprocally banned carriers from all countries which imposed sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, most European and Northern American carriers cannot enter Russian airspace with the exception of Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade).