by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 10:50 AM ET, Fri November 14, 2025
Air Transat celebrated its 38th anniversary in Toronto last night with an Immersive Cocktail Event, highlighting four new direct international flights from Toronto Pearson (YYZ): Medellín, Istanbul, Georgetown and Rio de Janeiro.
TravelPulse Canada was invited to explore the food, music, and cultural elements tied to the destinations as the airline marked a milestone year.
The Big 3-8
Bernard Côté, senior director of Brand Communications for Air Transat, opened the evening by acknowledging both the anniversary and the airline’s ongoing growth.
“We’re celebrating our 38th anniversary. November 14th, 1987, was the genesis of Air Transat, so we’re happy to celebrate that with you tonight,” he said.
Bernard Côté, senior director of Brand Communications for Air Transat (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair-McKenty/TravelPulse Canada)
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“For nearly four decades, [we’ve been] connecting Canada to Europe, South America, the Caribbean, North America — now even Africa. From day one, inaugural ballrooms have been part of our DNA, and trust me, we’re just getting started.”
Côté reiterated the four new Toronto flights now being introduced this winter. “Your journey to Colombia, Turkey, Guyana and Brazil begins here with Air Transat,” he said.
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“We are proud to highlight four new international routes departing from Toronto Pearson International Airport this winter — the first one being Medellín, Colombia, which operated for the first time just last week."
“Istanbul, Turkey [will start] on December 16th. Also on December 16th, we have Georgetown, Guyana. And on February 4th, we have Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bernard Côté gave away three pairs of tickets (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair-McKenty/TravelPulse Canada)
“With these new routes, we proudly reinforce our commitment to the travellers of the Greater Toronto Area. At Air Transat, we like to say that we create bridges. We connect people. Our mission is to reduce the distances between people, places, cultures and moments that matter to you.”
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He added that the airline’s accolades speak to its consistency: “We were voted the world’s best leisure airline for the seventh time. Seven times is not luck — seven times is a legacy.”
A Taste of Guyana
One of the busiest stations of the night was curated by Chef Devan Rajkumar (“Chef Dev”), a Canadian-Guyanese chef and media personality who partnered with Air Transat to celebrate the new Georgetown route.
An exclusive menu by Chef Kshitiz Sethi and influencer Chef Dev wowed guests at the party (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair-McKenty/TravelPulse Canada)
“We're here today hanging out at Air Transat as we celebrate four non-stop routes,” he told TravelPulse Canada. “My name is Chef Dev. I’m a well-known Canadian Guyanese chef. I spend most of the year travelling abroad, cooking, spreading mad love. So here today, this is all quintessential Guyanese food. We have snack food. We have our national dish broken down into slider form. There’s a little bit of street food here, and there’s some classic dishes… like the bake and saltfish, quintessential breakfast, pine tarts and cheese rolls, cassava balls. It’s all about Guyana.”
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Rajkumar said the direct flight from Toronto to Georgetown is a meaningful development for the community. Flights will run twice a week—on Tuesdays and Fridays—from December 16, 2025, through April 24, 2026.
“We have a prestigious airline like Air Transat now offering us a non-stop route — where we don’t have to connect through Miami or Trinidad — it’s very exciting.
“We’re celebrating 38 years of Air Transat, and if you look at this event, it’s just done really well. They put a lot of effort into things, and they have a certain level of class.”
When asked why Canadians should consider visiting Guyana, he pointed to its natural beauty.
“Guyana is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We have Kaieteur Falls. There is so much wildlife. There are thousands of types of plants. It’s lush — about 80 to 90 percent of the country is covered by rainforest. It’s one of the most beautiful places, and the food… it’s a beautiful melting pot. It’s the only country in South America where English is the national language.”
Rajkumar recommends travelling between October and April, adding that December and February are particularly special.
“The national dish, pepper pot, is cooked at Christmas time and the diaspora comes back. You smell pepper pot in the air. I spent a lot of Christmases there growing up, so I have very fond memories at that time.”
The event included a flight giveaway and a birthday cake. (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair-McKenty/TravelPulse Canada)
Expansion Continues Out of Montreal
Côté also noted announcements made earlier in the day.
“We’re adding Reykjavik, Iceland, from Montreal. We’re also adding Dakar, Senegal, to Montreal,” he said. “You can tell we’re diversifying our network. That’s part of our strategy.”
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The event included a live band, destination activations, a flight giveaway and a birthday cake.
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