British Airways is to launch a new service from London Heathrow to Calgary in Canada on 1 December.

There will be five flights each week on a Boeing 777 to the city in the Canadian province of Alberta.

British Airways’ director of planning, Robert Boyle said: “Calgary is an important business and leisure destination. Alberta has a growing oil and gas industry and Calgary is the gateway to the Canadian Rockies, with a large number of holiday-makers visiting throughout the year.”

In addition to this new route, the airline is launching an eighth daily service from London Heathrow to New York JFK on 1 December and increasing flights from London Heathrow to Sao Paulo in Brazil from seven to 10 each week on 3 December.

Mr Boyle said: “We offer a more comprehensive schedule between London and New York than any other airline, with three flights each day from Heathrow to Newark in addition to our JFK services. Brazil is an increasingly popular destination and we are adding extra capacity after air services talks between the British and Brazilian governments earlier this year approved more flights between the two countries.”

Calgary becomes British Airways’ fourth destination in Canada. This summer, the airline flies 10 times each week to Montreal, three times each day to Toronto and 13 times each week to Vancouver. All flights operate from London Heathrow.

This is the third new long-haul route that British Airways has launched in the last 18 months, with flights from London Heathrow to Shanghai, which started in June last year, and to Bangalore, which started last October.