Air Canada has announced plans to establish an Airbus A321XLR operating base at Toronto Pearson International Airport, supporting an expanded international schedule for the 2026–27 winter season.
The new base will enable year-round service on select transatlantic routes and forms part of a broader network expansion that includes new destinations in Latin America and additional leisure flights from Western Canada.
The new Toronto-based Airbus A321XLR fleet will support the conversion of Toronto–Manchester and Toronto–Copenhagen services to year-round operations starting in late October 2026. These flights will use the A321XLR, a narrow-body aircraft configured with lie-flat seating in Air Canada’s Signature Class cabin. The Toronto base will complement a previously announced A321XLR base in Montréal.
As part of the update, Air Canada will introduce new service to Quito, Ecuador, beginning in December 2026. The airline will operate three weekly flights from Montréal and one weekly flight from Toronto using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. The routes will be scheduled to connect with flights at both hubs, providing onward access within North America and to Europe.
Air Canada is also expanding its winter services in South America. Flights from Toronto to Rio de Janeiro and Lima will resume in late October 2026, approximately six weeks earlier than in the prior winter season. Service to Lima from both Toronto and Montréal will increase to three weekly flights. Montréal–Santiago service will return earlier in the season and expand to four weekly flights, while Montréal–Bogotá will increase to four weekly frequencies, operated by Boeing 787 aircraft in a three-cabin configuration.
From Calgary, the airline will launch new non-stop routes to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta in December 2026. Cancun will be served four times per week and Puerto Vallarta three times per week through April 2027. These flights will be operated by Air Canada Rouge using Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and President of Cargo at Air Canada said:With a comprehensive network spanning all six inhabited continents, Air Canada’s expanded winter schedule further cements our hubs as premier global gateways facilitating fast, convenient travel. These exciting new additions and enhancements are a catalyst to facilitating tourism, trade and connectivity, and deliver more compelling opportunities for our customers and Aeroplan Members to travel almost anywhere in the world to, from or via Canada.
We are continuing our strategic expansion into Latin America, taking advantage of continued demand strength and cargo opportunities, while leveraging a new Airbus A321 XLR base at our Toronto-Pearson global hub to enable year-round service to Copenhagen and Manchester. We are also capitalising on growing demand and Vancouver’s unique geography to add our first-ever service to Sapporo, the only non-stop from North America to this world-recognised winter leisure destination, while bringing two new options for our brand loyal customers in Calgary seeking out the warmth of Mexico’s beaches.
The winter schedule builds on Air Canada’s earlier announcement of a new Vancouver–Sapporo route, which will be the only non-stop service between North America and Japan’s Hokkaido region. According to the airline, the route reflects growing demand for travel to northern Japan and leverages Vancouver’s geographic position for transpacific services.
Air Canada stated that flights across the expanded winter network are now available for sale.
