Lyon Airport's Long-Haul Network Boost
Credit: Thierry Perre
The recent arrival of Qatar Airways in Lyon comes in addition to new capacity from both Air Transat and Air Canada in 2023.
Qatar Airways arrival in Lyon with its new four-weekly service to Doha marks the start of an important expansion of Lyon Airport’s long-haul network in 2023, strengthening the attractiveness of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Lyon metropolitan area for both tourists and residents.
The Qatar Airways flight is operated by a Boeing 787-8 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and offers excellent options for travel to/from Doha but also the rest of the Qatar Airways’ network, notably in the Middle East and Asia and particularly Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
Summer 2023 also marks an important milestone for Air Transat, who will be celebrating 33 years of operations between Montréal and Lyon this year. Recently voted the World’s Best Leisure Airline by Skytrax, Air Transat will be increasing its frequencies between July and September to daily flights for the first time.
Furthermore, the airline will be annualising the Lyon-Montreal route and will operate its first winter season from November 2023, offering 3 weekly flights (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday) using the Airbus A321LR. Beyond the excellent level of comfort offered to passengers, the aircraft’s reduced fuel consumption will help contribute to both Air Transat’s and Lyon Airport’s ambitious environmental objectives.
In a boost for this key long-haul route, Air Canada will also restore its year-round service between Lyon and Montreal from 13th October, operating up to five times a week. Flights will be operated by Airbus A330-300s. Passengers can also take advantage of the airline’s Montreal hub to fly onwards to destinations such as New York and Cancun as all flights are scheduled to optimize connections with Air Canada's extensive North American network. A great option for leisure travellers and the many business travellers from the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, the 1st industrial region in France.
Air Canada’s return will also facilitate the movement of cargo to/from the North America, which remains the biggest market for Lyon with over 16 000 tonnes transported to and from the region every year.
These new services and increased frequencies are great additions to the Lyon long-haul network and notably the daily flights to Dubai operated by Emirates, which celebrated the 10 year anniversary of its operations to Lyon in 2022, and Corsair’s twice-weekly service to La Reunion.