Up To 8h 20m: Air Transat Unveils 2 New Transatlantic Airbus A321LR Routes To Europe

As part of its latest network expansion plans for next summer, the Canadian leisure operator Air Transat has revealed two additional European routes. It’ll operate from Ottawa, which is the nation’s capital, to London Gatwick, and from Quebec City to Marseille.

Both routes have been served by the carrier before. The A310-300 (and briefly the A330-200) flew between Ottawa and Gatwick until 2014, while Quebec City-Marseille saw its A310s/A330s until 2013. This time, they’ll be served on the two-class, 199-seat A321LR.

Air Transat’s New 2 European A321LR Links

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Both routes will take off next May in time for the peak summer season, with the most demand and highest fares. Air Transat will compete indirectly with Air Canada between Ottawa and London. Next summer, the Canadian flag carrier will deploy the A330-300 on its four-weekly capital-to-capital link. It may eventually switch to the A321XLR. Subject to slots, this would help increase frequencies and, therefore, competitiveness and market share.

Air Transat’s return to Ottawa-London will mean the city pair has two operators for the first time since that carrier pulled out in 2014 after a four-year stint. In the past 20 years or so, various other airlines operated nonstop, including Thomas Cook and Zoom, both of which served Gatwick.

Quebec City to Marseille is perhaps the definition of a francophone route. The city pair, which covers 3,128 nautical miles (5,793 km) each way, will have nonstop flights for the first time in 13 years. Booking data indicates the existing local market is tiny—fewer than 5,000 passengers a year—with Air Transat already the market leader, with passengers connecting in Montreal. Quebec City will have two nonstop routes to France, with Marseille flights coexisting with those to Paris CDG.

They’ll Be Timed At Up To 8h 20m

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Schedule analysis shows that Air Transat’s flights from Marseille back to Quebec City (with headwinds) will be blocked at up to 8h 20m. This means it will be the carrier’s joint fifth-longest European market by time, as shown below. It will be 20 minutes longer than from Gatwick back to Ottawa. Despite a faster cruise speed, Air Canada’s widebody operation from Heathrow to Canada’s capital is only five minutes quicker.

While it might change, the latest information, as of October 9, shows that Air Transat’s longest European A321LR-operated service next summer will be from Berlin back to Toronto. Timed at up to 8h 50m, this long route was introduced in June 2025. It marked the first time since 2019 that Germany’s capital had flights to Canada. Air Transat returned to Germany after an 11-year absence.

Various other A321LR-operated markets have block times of over eight hours back to Canada. They include Basel, Marseille, and Valencia to Montreal, all timed at 8h 15m; Lyon to Marseille, at 8h 10m; and Gatwick to Toronto and Toulouse to Montreal, at 8h 05m. Air Transat inaugurated flights to Valencia in June 2025. It was the first time that the Spanish city had flights from Canada, and the first time Valencia had any long-haul passenger service for 13 years.

Air Transat Jets To Istanbul In December 2025

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On December 6, 2025, Air Transat will lift off from Toronto to Istanbul, which will be served twice-weekly on the A330-200. It will become its new longest route network-wide. It is bound to make my Weekly Routes article (see the most recent edition). As it will interline with Turkish Airlines, it is effectively a way for that carrier to increase access to Canada’s most populous city.

As of October 9, the airline had only revealed that Ottawa-Gatwick and Quebec City-Marseille would relaunch in 2026. No other market—new or returning—is currently known. However, as it increasingly finalizes plans for next summer, its operations will probably see additional links added.