Air Canada is preparing to launch five new international routes from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) as it transitions to its Northern Winter schedule. The changes take effect on October 25, 2026, and mark a significant expansion of the carrier’s European network from its primary hub.
Toronto Pearson serves as the main base for Canada’s largest airline, which accounts for more than half of the airport’s total passenger volume and seat capacity. According to scheduled data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, Air Canada is due to operate more than 11,600 flights from the airport in the fourth quarter of 2026. These flights will offer roughly 2.4 million seats, excluding regional operations.
New European Destinations Starting October 25
The most notable addition to the winter schedule is a twice-weekly service to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. This route will open a new market for the carrier, making Air Canada the only North American operator serving the archipelago when the flights begin. The service will operate using the airline’s 182-seat Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
The A321XLR configuration includes 14 Signature Class seats arranged in a 1-1 layout with fully flat beds and direct aisle access, alongside 168 Economy seats. The launch of the Toronto-Tenerife route coincides with the introduction of a weekly service from Montreal to the same island.
While Air Canada will hold a monopoly on this specific route initially, competition is expected soon. Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat is scheduled to launch a new route from Toronto to Las Palmas, another destination in the Canary Islands, in December 2026.
A321XLR Deployment and Future 2027 Routes
Air Canada has placed significant reliance on the Airbus A321XLR for long-thin routes that lack enough demand for large twin-aisle aircraft but are too long for conventional jets. The carrier ordered the type in 2022 and received its first aircraft in April 2026. Between June and September 2026, the airline operated approximately 477 flights using the A321XLR, serving destinations such as Toulouse, Lyon, Nantes, Porto, and Berlin.
Looking ahead to the summer of 2027, Air Canada has announced three additional seasonal routes from Toronto Pearson. Starting June 2, 2027, the airline will introduce a four-times-weekly service to Oslo, Norway, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In the same month, a three-times-weekly service to Shannon, Ireland, will begin on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Additionally, flights to Nice on the French Riviera will launch on June 16, 2027. These services will operate twice weekly and will be operated using Airbus A330-300 aircraft rather than the A321XLR.
Network Capacity and US Hub Connections
For the upcoming winter season, which runs from October 25, 2026, to March 27, 2027, Air Canada is increasing capacity across its entire network by 10%. At Toronto Pearson, the airline and its regional operators are scheduled to operate more than 36,000 flights during this period.
The winter schedule also reinforces connections to major US hubs. Multiple daily departures will continue to Toronto Pearson from Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, Newark Liberty, Washington Reagan, and San Francisco. These frequent services ensure continued connectivity between the Canadian hub and some of the busiest markets across the border.
This winter expansion follows recent route additions earlier in 2026, including the return of services to Shanghai Pudong in June and the resumption of flights to Budapest, which had not been served since 2019. The airline continues to adjust its schedule to meet demand across its global network.
Source: Simple Flying
