This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Fire engines offered a water cannon salute Saturday to honor the first Air Canada flight offering new service from Salt Lake City International Airport.

The airline is returning to the Salt Lake City market, providing daily flights to and from its international hub in Toronto.

The once-daily flight to Toronto will be timed to allow easy connections across the ocean — or anywhere in Canada. Return flights also are timed to connect easily from other global flights

"It gives Salt Lake City access to global markets that it did not otherwise have," Kevin Howlett, Air Canada's senior vice president for regional markets, said in a recent interview. "So a market like Salt Lake City can say, 'I am one stop away from Istanbul. I am one stop away from Tel Aviv.' Those are huge economic enablers."

Air Canada serves 200 airports on six continents. It is the largest foreign carrier serving the United States — now at 53 U.S. cities.

It is the second large international airline to launch service in Salt Lake City within the past month. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines began nonstop service to Amsterdam on May 5.