Air Canada’s newest long-haul route from Vancouver has taken off, with the debut of services to Singapore, the only non-stop service to the city from Canada.

Stretching 12,818 kilometres (7,965 miles), the route is the airline’s longest flight measured by distance with a flying time of up to 16 hours and five minutes.

“Air Canada is thrilled to welcome customers onboard our newest route linking Canada and Singapore from our Pacific hub in Vancouver,” said Air Canada Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning, Mark Galardo.

“These new Singapore flights are part of our strategic expansion at Vancouver, which together with an efficient and seamless in-transit connection process, further position the airport as the preferred North American gateway to Asia.

“Singapore is also an important gateway to beyond destinations. Customers have a multitude of connection options travelling to Southeast Asia, Southern India and Western Australia with our longstanding codeshare and Star Alliance partner, Singapore Airlines.”