by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Thu September 3, 2026
Air Canada is gearing up for one of its biggest seasons yet with a transcontinental route expansion that is the largest in the airline’s history. Seven new routes are being introduced into Asia and Europe and five key routes are increasing in frequency or moving from seasonal service to year round. For summer 2027, Air Canada plans to operate more than 125 international routes, representing up to 169,000 seats weekly from Canada to more than 85 international destinations across the Atlantic, Pacific, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. According to the airline, this represents a more than eight per cent increase in available seat miles in these regions over summer 2026.
“Every new international route added reinforces Canada’s role as a global gateway and strengthens the connections that help build a strong Canada,” says The Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. “Expanded connectivity gives Canadian travellers greater access to the world, helps our businesses reach new markets, and brings more visitors to communities across the country. New routes deepen Canada’s ties abroad and create real opportunities here at home.”
The upgrades are all based out of Air Canada’s hubs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Vancouver will see the introduction of service to Guangzhou, China, operating year round.
From Toronto, new routes will operate to Oslo, Norway; Shannon, Ireland; and Nice, France. Service to Shanghai, China will become daily, the London Heathrow Daytripper flight will make a comeback, and the new Guatemala City route is slated to become year round.
New flights from Montreal will be to Basel, Switzerland and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Seasonal flights to Tenerife, Spain; Lima, Peru; and Guatemala City will move from seasonal to year round.
“Overall, our schedule reflects our commitment to championing Canada around the world,” Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, and President, Cargo at Air Canada.
The expansion taps into three key travel trends:
- Shoulder Season travel: By upgrading seasonal routes like Tenerife, Guatemala City, and Lima to year-round service, the airline is directly responding to customers seeking flexibility outside of traditional peak travel windows.
- Direct-to-Destination Leisure: Bypassing major European transit hubs to get customers directly to the French Riviera (Nice) or the Norwegian fjords (Oslo).
- Trans-Pacific Momentum: Re-establishing crucial VFR (visiting friends and relatives) and business links with North America's only year-round service to Guangzhou, China.
In addition to building a strategy that caters to the demands of travellers, Air Canada boasts that its growth is expected to create more than 1,500 additional direct jobs by 2028, while growing the airline’s GDP contribution in Canada by over $7 billion per year.
“Importantly, our strategy and growth support jobs and trade, connects people and bridges the six inhabited continents via Canada,” says Galardo, while teasing more to come. “With more new aircraft arriving shortly, expect even more exciting network announcements and details regarding our initial Boeing 787-10 operations from Air Canada in the coming months.”
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