441-02212 (Transportation)

The Government of Canada takes note of the campaign advocating for direct flights between Winnipeg and India, and is aware of the importance of this issue for many Canadians, including residents of Manitoba in particular. 

The Government of Canada is responsible for negotiating bilateral air transport agreements with foreign governments. These agreements enable the operation of scheduled air services and provide the legal framework within which airlines make decisions based on their own commercial priorities, actual market demand, and the operational viability of routes. The locations that Canadian airlines decide to serve within this framework are business decisions.  

The Government of Canada supports international air services by ensuring that Canada's air transport agreements include the rights that airlines require to operate. Transport Canada also consults annually with Canadian airport authorities, including the Winnipeg Airport Authority, to ensure that we are aware of and considering the commercial priorities of all of Canada’s airports.  

In 2022, the Governments of Canada and India concluded a significant expansion of the air transport agreement, which included removing any restriction on the number of flights that can be operated between the two countries. The Canada-India Air Transport Agreement also permits airlines the right to operate to a large number of cities. Currently, Canadian air carriers can fly to Bangalore (Bengaluru), Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai, while Indian air carriers can fly to Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, and two additional points to be selected by India.  

The Government of Canada has, therefore, provided the framework within which an airline could make the commercial decision to operate a service as described, between Winnipeg and India. With respect to Amritsar, the Government of Canada remains interested in further expansion of the agreement, and Canadian Ministers and officials have raised Canada’s interest in access to additional points in India during meetings with their Indian counterparts. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of International Trade, and the previous Minister of Transport have all met with their respective Indian counterparts and discussed, among other things, Canada’s interest in obtaining market access for direct air services to a greater number of cities in India (including in Punjab).  

Canada’s High Commissioner to India also wrote to Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, reiterating Canada’s interest in exchanging the right for Canada’s respective airlines to operate services to any point or points in the other country’s territory.

With respect to services operated via Europe, Canada’s air transport agreement with the United Kingdom and its agreement with the 27 Member States of the European Union, are very open, and permit airlines to operate from all cities in Canada to any destinations in the United Kingdom or the European Union. There are no impediments preventing Canadian, United Kingdom or European Union air carriers from serving Winnipeg.  It is also important to note that the rights of European airlines to serve points in India are set out in the air transport agreements between those carriers’ respective home countries and India.