U.S.-Connecting Air China Passengers Get ‘Transit Without Visa’ Status at Vancouver

The Canadian government has awarded Air China’s Vancouver flights Transit Without Visa (TWOV) and China Transit Trial (CTT) status.

Under this program, Chinese citizens with valid U.S. visas who are in direct transit through Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on their way to and from the United States are no longer required to obtain a Canadian Temporary Residence Permit.

Only five international airlines serving Canada have received such status, and nationals of certain Asian countries have enjoyed this privilege since the second half of 2009, according to Air China.

This photograph shows Air China A330-200 B-6505 loading at the gate at Vancouver International Airport

To be eligible to take advantage of Air China’s TWOV and CTT status at Vancouver International Airport, passengers on the airline must hold a confirmed onward ticket to and from the USA for flights within the same day of arrival and departing or arriving at YVR within the scheduled working hours of the U.S.-In Transit Pre-Clearance (USITPC) facility at the airport.

“Being the first and only mainland Chinese carrier to be invited by the Canadian authorities to join the Transit Without Visa and China Transit Trial program is a distinct honor for Air China, our management team in China and Canada,” said Zhigang He, general manager for Air China in Canada.

“The US-In Transit Pre-Clearance facility at Vancouver International Airport provides seamless convenient connections, including pre-clearance by U.S. Customs and Immigration,” added He. “More important, the ability to transport our Chinese customers via the Vancouver Asia Pacific gateway to their final destination in the United States will help us continue to expand our flight from Beijing to Vancouver.”

A Star Alliance member, Air China is the world’s largest airline by market capitalization, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Air China operates a fleet of 306 Airbus and Boeing aircraft and its network of 289 routes extends throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South and North America from its main hub at Beijing Capital International Airport.

As a member of the Star Alliance, Air China has connections through the alliance’s network to 1,160 destinations in 181 countries.

Air China holds controlling shares in subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines, Air Macau and Shandong Airlines. It also owns 29.99 per cent of Cathay Pacific Airways, making it the Hong Kong-based, highquality carrier’s second largest shareholder after the Swire Group.

In June 2011, Air China was awarded a four-star service rating from Skytrax, an independent air-service accrediting agency whose annual surveys of more than 17 million randomly selected passengers worldwide make its rankings of airlines and airports the industry’s most highly regarded awards.

To search for low fares, click here.