A senior regional executive said on Saturday that Air Canada expects demand for flights between Canada and the Asia-Pacific region to recover to near pre-pandemic levels by December next year.

Kyo Vice, Sales Manager for the Asia-Pacific region, said flights between Canada and Asia-Pacific are currently operating at 30% of 2019 capacity, but capacity is expected to double by the end of December.

She said the company is also considering adding flights to a new destination in the Asia-Pacific region in the near future to meet pent-up demand for leisure travel.

Vice said, “We are likely to make a decision within about a month,” without providing further details.

Canada’s largest airline is seeking to strengthen its presence in the region to meet high demand, especially from Southeast Asian countries, as the region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline resumed its direct flights between Montreal and Tokyo Narita Airport, which had been disrupted by the pandemic, on Saturday.