Canada and the Middle East: A new era of air travel
Julia Finot, Staff Writer
n an effort to expand the aviation industry, Canada is strengthening its travel ties with the Middle East.
Calgary and Vancouver hope to join the already established services in Toronto and Montreal, flying to a couple of Middle Eastern hot spots, following a new air transport agreement signed by the Canadian government on Dec. 1, 2025.
The agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia increased the number of passenger and cargo flights between the nations.
With Dubai being considered an international travel hub, the new air transport agreements, infrastructure, and flying partnerships mean Canadians will have more international destinations than ever before.
Trapezing trade transportation
For flights to the UAE, the maximum number of commercial flights per week is 35, while service to Saudi Arabia allows up to 14 per week. Both of the agreements permit unlimited cargo transportation.
With top exports such as defence products, vehicle parts, machinery, and pharmaceuticals, cargo will strengthen Canada’s trading ties with the Middle East. In return, Canada receives advancements in engineering and aerospace technologies, as well as in seafood and agriculture.
“The expanded air transport agreements with Saudi Arabia and the UAE will open new access for Canadians to key destinations in the Middle East,” said Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s minister of international trade. “By deepening our commercial ties with long-standing partners, we are creating new opportunities for Canadian businesses and exporters to grow, meet rising global demand, and build lasting connections.”
Dubai builds biggest airport yet
Dubai has quickly expanded its travel industry. It is commonly referred to as the ‘centre of the world’ because it lies between Asia, Africa and Europe. It has become an essential stop on international travel routes.
In April 2024, Dubai announced the expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC). Situated just outside the city, it was originally developed as a cargo hub.
The expansion is the biggest single planned urban development project in southern Dubai and is set to include over 400 gates, with over 260 million travellers expected annually. The five-runway project, estimated at 70 square kilometres, is intended to replace Dubai International Airport once complete.
Today, the world’s busiest airport is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which reported serving 108 million passengers in 2024.
DWC is designed to handle more than double the passenger volume in Atlanta, which has only 192 gates, and it most often sees mid-sized jets with seating for up to 330 passengers. Meanwhile, Dubai most frequently sees jumbo jets such as an Airbus A380. These airliners hold up to 550 passengers per flight.
Upgrades to Dubai’s airport infrastructure come as the outdated Dubai International Airport continues an upward trend in volume, having handled 5.5 million seats in the first month of 2026—a four per cent increase compared to last January.
Still, Dubai’s current airport ranks second to Atlanta as the world’s busiest, and with bigger jets and more gates, the new airport will quickly become a mega hub for travellers when it opens in 2032.
Connecting Canadians
With Dubai quickly becoming a gateway to the world, Canada’s airlines are capitalising on the opportunity.
The luxury, Dubai-based airline, Emirates, decided to move forward with its partnership with Air Canada late last year. First launched in December 2022, the two companies signed a three-year agreement to become Aeroplan partners.
Aeroplan is Air Canada’s loyalty program, where flyers can accumulate points through purchases, which later grant them discounts on hotel bookings and rental cars, upgrades on flight packages, and bookings with partner airlines.
For travellers, the Aeroplan partnership offers easy baggage transfers, frequent flyer benefits (for either airline) and a singular itinerary.
This partnership has added more than 225 new destinations worldwide and strengthened travel ties between Canada and the Middle East. The extended partnership will last until 2032, aligning itself with the opening of the first phase at DWC.
Canadians can book a single ticket from either Toronto or Montreal and stop over in Dubai to access far corners of the earth.
For Canadians, this makes travelling hassle-free rather than requiring multiple layovers with multiple airlines.
With WestJet operating long-haul flights to countries like Japan and Brazil, the market for international travel in Calgary is quickly climbing. Air Canada can add more flights to Calgary, and this expansion opens the door not just to Calgarians but to everyone in the prairies.
With the expanded air transport agreement, construction of DWC and the extended partnership, Canadians can reach further destinations more efficiently. Thanks to the benefits of Aeroplan and faster long-haul travel options, Canadians will be closer than ever to the exciting world of aviation and international travel.
