The agreement, if approved by regulators, will enable Air Canada customers to travel to the United Arab Emirates and to destinations beyond Dubai, while Emirates customers will benefit from Air Canada’s network from Toronto.

Customers will be able to book connecting travel between both airlines’ networks with a single ticket and connect seamlessly at each carrier’s hubs, with baggage transfer to their final destinations.

"As we continue pursuing our strategy of expanding our global reach in response to growing opportunities in Visiting Friends and Relatives markets that serve Canada’s large multicultural communities, we are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with Emirates,” said Michael Rousseau, Air Canada president and chief executive.

"We look forward to introducing Air Canada codeshare service on key Emirates flights, as well as adding the EK code on select Air Canada flights, and welcoming Emirates customers on our services later this year." 

Sir Tim Clark, Emirates Airline president, said: "This is a significant partnership that will enable our customers access to even more destinations in Canada and the Americas via our Toronto and US gateways.”