Transatlantic flights return to Ottawa airport with Paris flight

In this file photo dated Friday, May 17, 2019, Air France planes are parked on the tarmac at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy, near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, FILE)

Ottawa's airport is getting a transatlantic flight for the first time in nearly three years.

Air France is launching a new route between Ottawa and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, the airline announced Thursday. Five weekly non-stop flights between the two cities will run starting June 27.

It's the first direct flight from Ottawa to a European city since the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the airport's international routes.

International flights to Ottawa ceased during the pandemic. Federal rules meant international flights were restricted to four Canadian airports: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Direct flights to some U.S. and Caribbean destinations have returned to Ottawa airport, but the Paris flight is the first European destination. Air Canada used to run direct flights from Ottawa to London and Frankfurt, but those have not resumed.

"We applaud Air France for capitalizing on the substantial demand for non-stop YOW-Europe service," Mark Laroche, the Ottawa International Airport Authority's president and CEO, said in a news release.

"Not only is Paris a long-standing popular destination for residents and business travellers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, Air France’s global connectivity from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is world-renowned, with connections to Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and beyond."

The Paris-Ottawa flight will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays on Air France's 224-seater Airbus A-330.

Air France also said it's resuming its Paris-Quebec City service in May and increasing the number of flights to Paris from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Air France's free shuttle between Montreal's Trudeau Airport and Ottawa will continue to run twice a day.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on Twitter the announcement is "great news for Ottawa's economy."

Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon called the announcement excellent news for Gatineau residents who are travelling to Europe, Lebanon and Africa.

And local tourism officials said the flights would make it easier for visitors from France and other overseas markets to travel to Ottawa.

"This will mean greater and easier access to our beautiful region, and will certainly give a boost to the tourism industry on both sides of the river," Julie Kinnear, president of Tourisme Outaouais, said in the release.