Air Canada is in growth mode to Europe. According to the Star Alliance member’s schedule submission to OAG, an average of 53 daily departures will be available in August 2026, up by 8% year-over-year. That is more than in any other August to date.
Multiple new and returning routes have assisted with this growth. Additions include Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Budapest and Ponta Delgada, Halifax to Brussels, and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Berlin, Catania, Nantes, and Palma de Mallorca. Air Canada will take off for the German capital next week.
On July 2, Air Canada will inaugurate the first flight from YUL to Berlin Brandenburg Airport(BER). It is bound to make the weekly celebratory new routes article; see this week’s edition. It will be the first time that Canada’s flag carrier has had mainline service to the German capital. However, its lower-cost unit, Route, flew from YYZ to the now-closed Tegel between 2017 and 2019. It seems it will be the first time that BER (or Tegel or Schönefeld) has had flights from Quebec.
The brand-new route will operate three times weekly using Air Canada’s 182-seat Airbus A321XLRs. ch-aviation shows that the airline currently has two frames, each with 14 fully flat business seats in Signature Class (1-1; no privacy doors) and 168 seats in economy (3-3; mainly 31″ pitch but up to 34″). Read more about the airline’s XLR product here.
The service, which will cover 3,263 nautical miles (6,043 km) each way, was to operate from Canada until mid-October. However, this has been brought forward by more than a month to September 5. By focusing more on the peak season, Air Canada will achieve higher yields, which are critical for long-haul flights to offset the very high operating expenses.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
*This includes taxi time at both ends of the route, the flight time, and a period for short delays. It also reflects slot possession
It is the first time that Canada has had service to this European country. See more here!
Berlin Will Now Have A Record Two Canadian Routes
Booking data shows that 22,000 round-trip passengers flew between YUL and BER in the 12 months to April 2026. It was YUL’s largest unserved European market, although Air Canada will easily grow this volume with its nonstop flights and hopefully strong promotions.
The passenger traffic was local; everyone flew between the two airports. Of course, given there were no nonstop flights, everyone had to connect enroute. Most did so with Lufthansa in Frankfurt or Munich, KLM in Amsterdam, Air France in Paris, SWISS in Zurich, or British Airways in London.
YUL’s traffic was less than half that of YYZ-BER, which is not surprising. YYZ is now served by Air Transat, whose debut took place in June 2025. The 199-seat A321LR is used. While Canada’s leisure airline flew twice a week in the first season, the frequency has increased to three weekly services in 2026, although the operating period has been shortened.
Booking data indicates that the average base fare (excluding taxes, add-ons, and any fuel surcharge) for YUL-BER was US$558. This was across all airlines, passengers, and cabins. In contrast, it was $529 for YYZ. But as YUL flights will cover 7% less distance, they’re not only higher-yielding (14% higher base fare per nautical mile) but also less expensive to operate.
See which notable examples made the list this week!
OAG’s connection analyzer tool was used to explore Air Canada’s two-way connectivity across the Americas from BER via YUL. Various criteria were chosen, such as flying no more than 30% longer than what nonstop flights would cover (if they existed) and waiting more than four hours in each direction. Relaxing these measures would necessarily increase the number of transfer markets but could reduce Air Canada’s competitiveness.
This process identified that around 18 airports have flights that connect relatively quickly and conveniently in both directions. Booking data show they had 310,000 passengers in the 12 months to April 2026, although Air Canada would obviously capture only a small share of the market. They include Los Angeles (53,000 passengers), San Francisco (51,000), Toronto (45,000), Boston (41,000), and Washington Dulles (40,000).
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