New Narrowbody Routes to Europe: Air Canada Ups The Ante

Air Canada has announced a further expansion of its Summer 2026 global schedule to Europe, with new destinations served from Toronto Pearson International Airport, Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, and Halifax / Stanfield International Airport. Additionally, the carrier will be resuming its Montreal-Tel Aviv seasonal route for next summer using a Boeing 787-9.

From Montreal, Air Canada will offer non-stop service three times weekly to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, and three times per week to Nantes in France. The airline will also launch a new nonstop to Ponta Delgada in the Azores from Toronto, as well as adding a second transatlantic destination from Halifax to Brussels Airport.

Narrowbody Expansion Across The Pond

Credit: Air Canada

Air Canada already announced six new or returning routes for its Summer 2026 schedule back in September. This included new routes from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver to several international markets, including Catania, Budapest, and Bangkok. The carrier also announced the long-awaited return to Shanghai Pudong International Airport from Toronto.

Those routes were based around Air Canada’s widebody fleet, but today’s announcement expands on that with four new narrowbody nonstop routes to Europe. At least one of these will make use of the carrier’s new Airbus A321XLR fleet from the outset, while the aircraft for the other three are still to be confirmed.

Air Canada’s chief commercial officer, Mark Galardo, emphasized that the transatlantic narrowbody expansion is about delivering point-to-point convenience, and providing the airline’s customers with “more exciting destinations to explore.” He said:

“With these additions, Air Canada will offer North America’s second-largest transatlantic network by destinations next summer. We look forward to connecting Montréal, Toronto and Halifax with new services and destinations, a natural next step in our continued international growth,”

Details About The New Routes

Credit: Air Canada

Halifax will be getting its second transatlantic route with Air Canada with a nonstop to Brussels. The city already has six nonstops to Europe provided by WestJet, but Brussels will be an all-new destination. Montreal will gain two new routes, with an A321XLR service to the German capital, and a nonstop to Nantes, a route that is already served by Air Transat. Toronto will be adding Ponta Delgada in the Azores. All four of the new routes are scheduled to fly three times weekly.

While Air Canada has confirmed that it will operate the Berlin route with an A321XLR, the other three routes are currently assigned “a narrowbody aircraft” in the company’s press release materials. Simple Flying did reach out to Air Canada to gain clarification on the aircraft to be used, but the company had not responded by the time of publication.

All three of the routes could technically be operated using Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet, and indeed, Halifax’s existing route to London Heathrow Airport utilizes the type. With five other A321XLR routes already planned, the carrier might be forced to use its Boeing aircraft to initiate the routes while it awaits its A321XLR deliveries. However, the MAX 8s are scheduled to be transferred to Air Canada Rouge, so long-term, all three are likely to be A321XLR routes.

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The A321XLR Route Network Is Taking Shape

Credit: Air Canada

Air Canada announced its first transatlantic A321XLR route back in September, from Montreal to the Spanish leisure destination of Palma de Mallorca. Since then, it has been adding new destinations for its long-range Airbus narrowbody, and now has six confirmed routes starting next summer:

• Dublin: Will only operate for two weeks in May before transferring to a 787-9.
• Toulouse: Moving from a 787-8 to an A321XLR on May 15.
• Porto: Starting June 1 and replacing an A330-300.
• Palma de Mallorca: A brand-new market starting on June 18.
• Edinburgh: Starting June 18.
• Berlin: A brand-new market starting on July 2.

Air Canada has 30 A321XLRs on order through a mix of direct purchases from Airbus and leases from aircraft lessors. It is expected to receive the first 10 of these in 2026 from Air Lease Corporation, with deliveries starting in the first quarter.