Flights will add Canadian jobs

Emirates Airline, which is seeking approval to increase its flights to Canada, said added links will create more than 2,800 new jobs.The Dubai-based airline said a new study presented in Vancouver on Tuesday by transport consultants InterVISTAS found its plan for new services to Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary would also bring $480 million in economic benefits.

This study identifies a great economic opportunity and highlights the need for more progress on Open Skies agreements to remove barriers to international tourism and commerce, said British Colombia Premier Gordon Campbell in a statement. As a province and a country, we need to capitalize on services like those offered by Emirates Airline to realize our full economic potential.

The research looked at potential benefits from tourism spending, taxes and economic activity from Emirates’ proposed services. The airline is the world’s third most profitable and flies to 101 destinations around the world.New links would result in 274,927 new passengers travelling through Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver airports annually.There would be an additional $246 million in new spin-off economic activity across Canada annually and $38.1 million in new tax revenue, the study said.The study points out that demand for cargo space for Canadian goods on Emirates flights currently exceeds capacity, with space sold out months in advance.