Air Canada to Launch Shortest‑Ever Nonstop North America–Asia Flight to Sapporo

Air Canada is set to inaugurate a new nonstop service between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, Japan, representing the shortest scheduled nonstop flight between North America and Asia when it begins operations in December 2026. 

The seasonal winter service will operate three times weekly using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner through March 25, 2027. The flight is expected to take roughly 8–9 hours each way, making it significantly shorter than many existing transpacific routes that link the continent with East Asia. 

Air Canada’s new Sapporo service will become the only scheduled nonstop connection between North America and Japan’s Hokkaido region. Leveraging Vancouver’s geographic position on Canada’s Pacific coast, the flight shortens overall travel time compared with many one‑stop alternatives, and will be particularly attractive to travellers heading to Hokkaido’s ski resorts, winter festivals and cultural attractions. 

Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, says the route strengthens the airline’s Pacific gateway strategy at YVR while tapping into strong leisure demand between Canada and Japan. The carrier already operates a large transpacific network from Vancouver to destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, and Shanghai,

For passengers in Hokkaido, the new nonstop link will also provide seamless onward connectivity across Air Canada’s extensive North American network, offering connections to dozens of destinations throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico. 

The launch underscores an ongoing trend among network carriers to explore both longer and shorter‑hailed direct routes across the Pacific, balancing customer convenience with operational efficiency. By adding this relatively short transpacific link, Air Canada is reshaping how travellers think about distance and connectivity between the two continents.