Air Canada Launches Exclusive New 9-Hour Nonstop Route In 3 Months: See Flights Now

Published Sep 24, 2026, 10:11 AM EDT Paul has had a career of 25+ years focused on the international technology sector, which has taken him to over 100 countries. Along the way, he developed a deep love for aviation, with a travel bucket list measured by aircraft types flown rather than destinations reached. Now he brings that avgeek passion, along with the journalism experience he accumulated early in his career, to write insightful pieces for Simple Flying. Air Canada will open a brand-new nonstop link between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Sapporo's New Chitose Airport (CTS) on December 17, operating three times weekly through late March. The 4,299-mile (6,917 km) flight is currently scheduled at around nine hours and ten minutes westbound, and will use Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The launch comes as Japan continues to surge in popularity among Canadian travelers, and Sapporo attracts considerably more international airline capacity for the coming ski season. Japan welcomed nearly 700,000 Canadian visitors in 2025, an 18% year-over-year increase, while Sapporo itself recorded more than 16 million visitors last year. Meanwhile, the new route will add to Air Canada's growing Asia network from Vancouver, which is regularly voted North America's best airport. Air Canada Will Fly Vancouver–Sapporo Three Times Weekly Credit: kamilpetran | Shutterstock For the new route, Flight AC55 will leave Vancouver on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with the current schedule showing a 2:25 PM departure and 3:35 PM arrival the following afternoon. Flight AC54 returns on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, currently leaving Sapporo at 7:35 PM for an approximately eight-hour-and-15-minute overnight flight to Vancouver. Air Canada says bypassing a connection in Tokyo will save passengers more than two hours each way, while YVR provides onward connectivity to more than 45 destinations across Canada, the US and Mexico. Flight Route Frequency Departure Arrival Block Time Season AC55 Vancouver–Sapporo Mon, Thu, Sat 2:25 PM 3:35 PM +1 9h 10m Dec. 17–Mar. 25 AC54 Sapporo–Vancouver Tue, Fri, Sun 7:35 PM 11:50 AM 8h 15m Dec. 18–Mar. 26 Air Canada originally planned to use the 255-seat Boeing 787-8 throughout the season. But it has since increased capacity by scheduling the larger 298-seat Boeing 787-9 from launch before temporarily reverting to the -8 between January 18 and February 27, an indication that early bookings are exceeding expectations. Both Dreamliner variants offer Signature Class, Premium Economy and Economy. Mark Galardo, chief commercial officer at Air Canada, highlighted the fact that ski bags and equipment qualify under the airline's normal international checked-baggage allowance, saying "it's as easy as taking your gear to Whistler or Banff." He further said: “Sapporo is a truly premier winter leisure destination in Japan’s northern Hokkaido prefecture. Whether people are avid snow enthusiasts, cultural or culinary connoisseurs, or global explorers, this new service will make discovering Japan’s vibrant northern regions more convenient than ever, while reinforcing our Vancouver hub as North America’s second-largest Pacific gateway" Air Canada initially launched the route saying it would be the only North America–Sapporo nonstop. But that's no longer the case, as United Airlines subsequently announced service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Sapporo from December 11, six days before Air Canada starts, with three weekly Boeing 787-9 flights through March. The two launches will mean Hokkaido will suddenly receive six weekly North American nonstops after previously having none. Loading map… Drag to explore Airlines Are Betting Big On Sapporo This Winter Credit: Michael Derrer Fuchs | Shutterstock United's decision reinforces Air Canada's bet, because the US carrier has increasingly pursued international destinations that are experiences in themselves rather than conventional city-to-city business markets. Its Sapporo announcement emphasizes skiing, Hokkaido seafood, ramen and the Snow Festival, while United says nearly 80 US cities will feed the route through San Francisco. The two Star Alliance partners are far from alone. Qantas has flown seasonally from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) to Sapporo in recent years, and this winter will be increasing its normal three-weekly pattern to five weekly flights, citing strong performance and “exceptional demand” from the previous ski season. Similarly, Singapore Airlines is also expanding its seasonal operation, flying daily from November 30 through January 27, and continuing three times weekly through February, a month in which it did not operate the route during the previous winter. Airline Route Winter 2026/27 Change Peak Frequency Air Canada Vancouver–Sapporo New route 3x weekly United Airlines San Francisco–Sapporo New route 3x weekly Qantas Sydney–Sapporo 3x → 5x weekly 5x weekly Singapore Airlines Singapore–Sapporo Expanded operation Daily Philippine Airlines Manila–Sapporo 3x → 5x weekly 5x weekly Cebu Pacific Manila–Sapporo 3x → daily Daily Eastar Jet Seoul–Sapporo 21x → 24x weekly 24x weekly Parata Air Seoul–Sapporo 5x → 7x weekly Daily The same trend is also visible closer to Japan. Philippine Airlines has increased Manila–Sapporo from its initially filed three weekly services to five, while Cebu Pacific will increase to daily between December and February. A total of eight airlines will fly to Sapporo from Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN), with Eastar Jet offering 24 weekly flights during peak season. That season peaks in February with Sapporo's 2027 Snow Festival, with the event typically attracting more than two million visitors, allowing airlines to concentrate their aircraft when Hokkaido itself becomes a major international travel experience. Sapporo Joins Air Canada’s Growing Vancouver–Asia Network Credit: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock Sapporo also slots into a significantly larger Air Canada operation to Asia from Vancouver. Cirium data shows the carrier increasing from eight destinations and 48 weekly departures in January this year to nine destinations and 55 departures a year later, representing 14.6% growth. Sapporo accounts for three of the seven additional flights, but Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) also rises from four weekly to daily and Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) from four to five weekly, building on Air Canada's long-running use of Vancouver for Asia-focused and seasonal leisure flying. Destination January 2026 January 2027 July 2027 Bangkok Daily Daily 3x weekly Beijing 4x weekly Daily Daily Guangzhou — — 3x weekly Hong Kong Daily Daily Daily Manila 4x weekly 5x weekly 4x weekly Osaka Kansai — — 4x weekly Sapporo — 3x weekly — Seoul Incheon Daily Daily Daily Shanghai Daily Daily Daily Singapore 5x weekly 5x weekly 5x weekly Tokyo Narita Daily Daily Daily Weekly Departures 48 55 54 Destinations 8 9 10 The network is also flexing to become increasingly seasonal as travel patterns change, with the winter flights to Sapporo being a clear example. But by summer, Sapporo disappears, Bangkok drops frequency, while Osaka returns. Meanwhile, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) will become another new year-round Asian destination with three weekly 787-9 flights from May 4. That contrast helps explain the Sapporo experiment: Air Canada is not simply adding dots to the Vancouver map, but increasingly deploying its long-haul fleet differently by season in order to maximize yields. Based on the experience of other carriers like Qantas in recent winters, it can likely expect a positive first winter season flying nonstop to Japan's premier skiing destination.