Canada to China Direct Flights: Routes, Airlines, and Booking with Points

Vancouver Airport Authority recently highlighted (via LinkedIn) a significant increase in China capacity beginning in Fall 2026. Air China is adding two weekly Vancouver–Beijing flights, China Southern is adding two weekly Vancouver–Guangzhou flights, Xiamen Airlines is adding another Vancouver–Xiamen frequency, and Beijing Capital Airlines is returning to YVR with weekly service connecting Vancouver with Hangzhou/Qingdao.

In April 2026, Transport Canada had announced an incremental increase in permitted direct passenger flights between the two countries, along with reciprocal access to all points in each country. Airlines appear to be taking advantage of that room quickly, and for points travellers, more capacity means more opportunities for award inventory to appear. While Air Canada’s Aeroplan will remain our primary currency in Canada to leverage Star Alliance options, other loyalty programs like Flying Blue offer interesting options, given the airlines operating direct flights between Canada and China.

Canada–China Nonstop Flights at a Glance

As of Fall 2026, all of Canada’s nonstop mainland-China connectivity is concentrated at Vancouver (YVR) and Toronto (YYZ), with Vancouver being the larger gateway.

Based on currently published Fall 2026 schedules (via FlightConnections), Vancouver will offer ~32 weekly departures to mainland China, while Toronto has roughly 16, although frequencies vary by season.

Nonstop Flights from Vancouver to China

The latest on the list above is, of course, Air Canada, which announced a year-round Vancouver–Guangzhou service starting on May 4, 2027, which gives the airline three mainland Chinese destinations from Vancouver  – Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Nonstop Flights from Toronto to China

Air Canada has already announced that Toronto–Shanghai will increase to daily service for Summer 2027. Last but not least, Toronto–Guangzhou is a fascinating route at ~7,700 miles, making it one of the longest nonstop flights departing Canada.

Best Ways to Book These Flights with Points

Aeroplan for Air Canada and Air China

Unsurprisingly, for Air Canada-operated flights to Beijing, Shanghai and eventually Guangzhou, Aeroplan is naturally the first place we would look. But with dynamic pricing, we expect these direct routes to be expensive year-round. Flexibility will be key if you want to find a worthwhile redemption on these direct long-haul routes. Aeroplan credit cardholders will see marginal savings of a 15% discount on award flights. If flying direct matters to you, Premium Economy redemptions may be the way to go. We are not suggesting it would be cheap, but that the relative pricing could work for folks seeking these routes on points. Better yet, these routes and prices are exactly where Aeroplan Elite members use their Air Canada Priority Rewards to lock in a 50% discount on award tickets.

Booking a partner airline like Air China, which operates a direct route from some of these gateways, is the sweet spot if you find rare availability on Aeroplan. Unlike Air Canada-operated flights, partner rewards use fixed distance-based pricing. Both Vancouver–Beijing and Toronto–Beijing fall inside Aeroplan’s 5,001–7,500-mile North America–Pacific partner band where Business Class seats should price around 85,000 points.

That said, we have not seen Air China availability from North America on Aeroplan in a long time! It’s significantly easier to find if flying to/from Europe, although at that point you can also fly European airlines like SWISS and LOT Polish, who are among the more generous with releasing award space. Fun fact: Shenzhen Airlines is an Aeroplan partner and flies to London, and business class award space is frequently available.

Flying Blue for China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines

China Eastern is a SkyTeam member, which gives Canadians the pathway through Flying Blue, which transfers from Amex MR at a 1:1 rate, and 1:1.25 during specific transfer bonus promotions. While we recommend skipping Flying Blue for Air France and KLM redemptions, it’s a handy program for booking partner awards. But unlike Aeroplan, Flying Blue uses a fully dynamic pricing chart, including for partner airlines, which can make finding availability at reasonable prices difficult.

Vancouver to Xiamen Direct on Flying Blue

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is another China Eastern partner and publishes a distance-based China Eastern award chart, although Virgin Points are considerably less straightforward for most Canadians. The only transfer partner for Virgin Points in Canada is the Marriott Bonvoy program, which converts 3:1 to several airlines.

Note that Business Class award space on China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines to North America gateways is very difficult to find.

Atmos Rewards for Hainan Airlines

Hainan Airlines is not part of one of the big three alliances, but it remains an airline partner of Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards program. YVR–SZN and YYZ–PEK should be bookable as award tickets, with Business Class availability much more limited than in Economy.

Vancouver to Shenzhen Award on Atmos

Toronto to Beijing award on Atmos

If You’re Willing to Take a Connection

You may have noticed that booking business class at saver prices on direct flights to/from China is difficult, if not essentially impossible. If you’re willing to take a connection, though, plenty of options are available.

Our favourite is Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong. It’s about as close as you can get to mainland China, and you can even reach several cities by train. Alternatively, spend a day or two in Hong Kong, cross the border to Shenzhen, and book a cheaper domestic flight to your final destination.

Business Class from Vancouver costs 91,000 Asia Miles, while Toronto costs 119,000 miles. Availability through Cathay’s own program is excellent, often with two business class seats per flight. Since Asia Miles uses distance-based pricing, you can continue to a city such as Shanghai for the same number of miles.

Cathay is generous with releasing award space to its own Asia Miles program

Qatar Airways is another option. It’s a considerable detour through Doha, but Qsuites is very comfortable, and a one-way business class itinerary to China costs 95,000 Avios. Award space is also reliably available when the calendar opens one year out.

Atmos Rewards members can book STARLUX to Taipei, although a separate onward ticket is required because STARLUX doesn’t fly to China.

Japan Airlines and ANA via Tokyo are bookable through Avios and Aeroplan, but award space and onward connections can be challenging. EVA Air is another Aeroplan option, while China Airlines from Vancouver can cost just 61,000 Flying Blue miles one-way in business class. That’s an excellent sweet spot, but “if you can find space” are the key words.

Takeaway

Vancouver continues to be Canada’s gateway for direct flights to China,  while Toronto maintains significant nonstop links to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The Fall 2026 additions from Air China, China Southern, Xiamen Airlines and Beijing Capital Airlines add capacity on the direct routes, and Air Canada’s Vancouver–Guangzhou launch and daily Toronto–Shanghai service in 2027 complement the added capacity in Canada.

For booking the direct routes with points, Aeroplan is the obvious starting point for Air Canada and especially Air China. Flying Blue deserves attention for China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines, while Atmos Rewards unlock Hainan Airlines for points travel. If you’re willing to take a connection, Cathay Pacific through Asia Miles stands out as the best option, with Qatar Qsuites as a solid back-up. With some luck, you can also fly ANA and Japan Airlines through Tokyo or China Airlines and EVA through Flying Blue and Aeroplan.