KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) – Air Canada on Friday announced that St Vincent and the Grenadines is one of six new routes for the airline’s winter season.

A release issued by Air Canada says weekly flights from Toronto to St Vincent and the Grenadines are now available for purchase on its website and through travel agents.According to Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada “Air Canada is continuing its strategic, global expansion with a diverse range of exciting new non-stop routes this winter to Australia, South America, the Caribbean and the United States,”.The airline says its first long-haul international scheduled service to St Vincent and the Grenadines and the other five destinations, “offers new choices for travellers looking to escape Canadian winters”.CEO of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, Glen Beache expressed elation with the announcement stating that “we are happy to welcome an airline such as Air Canada, which has a rich history, to St Vincent and the Grenadines. We look forward to a successful partnership which will enable both entities to grow.”The announcement from Air Canada comes as the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority continues on its quest to attract international carriers to the Argyle International Airport (AIA) which was officially opened on February 14.The AIA boasts a 2,743 metre (9,000-foot) runway, 45 metres (150 feet) wide and is designed to accommodate aircraft as large as the Boeing 747-400s.Tourism has been the main foreign exchange earner for St Vincent and the Grenadines over the last three decades and it is expected that the international airport will increase earnings in this sector.The Argyle International Airport is also expected to increase accessibility to the island by attracting direct flights from North America and Europe.