Air Canada Cancels 9 Nonstop Routes From Major City: See Map Now

Prachi is a London-based journalist with extensive experience in the aviation industry. She has worked for several leading industry publications, covering a broad range of topics. Her expertise lies in aircraft maintenance, emerging technologies, and advanced air mobility. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Journalism, focusing on data journalism and its potential to transform conventional aviation reporting.

Air Canada, a founding member of Star Alliance, is the largest airline at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). It holds roughly 40% to 50% market share at the airport. For next summer, the airline has announced multiple new destinations from the hub, including Oslo, Norway, Shannon, Ireland, and Nice, France.

However, not every year is the same. This year has been challenging for the aviation sector, and airlines have subsequently adjusted their networks. Air Canada has followed the same path, and its Toronto hub has seen several cuts.

Air Canada Cuts Two Routes From Toronto To The US

It is no news to anyone that the diplomatic and trade tensions between Canada and the US have affected travel between the two countries. Financial Post, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that Air Canada's capacity on US routes has declined by around 10% over the past two years amid these tensions.

For these reasons, or others, Air Canada's scheduled flight data show it has discontinued at least five US routes this year, including two from YYZ. One of these is to New York JFK Airport (JFK), where the carrier had been due to reinstate flights from October 25. However, the service has now been removed from its schedule.

JFK has historically been the odd one out in the Canadian airline's New York strategy. It previously dropped the airport in 2016 and then brought the route back in 2023. Air Canada already has a substantial presence at New York's other major airports, operating up to 34 daily flights to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) from various Canadian cities.

Another route to end this year is Charleston, South Carolina. The Star Alliance member launched the service in March 2024, but demand remained relatively weak throughout the route's operation. US Department of Transportation (DOT) data shows that the route recorded an average load factor of 66.5% between March 2024 and July 2026, and no month recorded a load factor above 70%.

Air Canada Is No Longer Returning To Cuba

The other network changes are less surprising given Air Canada’s withdrawal from Cuba. In February, the Cuban government issued an urgent Notice to Air Missions warning international airlines that Jet A-1 fuel would no longer be commercially available at the island's airports from February 10. This followed disruptions to Cuba's oil supplies.

Air Canada responded by suspending all flights to Cuba and operating empty southbound services to bring approximately 3,000 Canadian tourists home. The initial fuel restriction was expected to last until March 11, but the situation did not improve enough for the airline to resume normal operations. In June, it postponed the resumption of its Cuban services indefinitely.

Indeed, Toronto served as a key gateway for the airline's Cuba network, which included Cayo Coco (4x weekly), Varadero (4x weekly), Holguín (2x weekly), and Santa Clara (1x weekly). Air Canada's rivals, WestJet and Air Transat initially tried to keep flying to Cuba using workarounds, but ultimately joined the Star Alliance member in fully suspending operations to the island.

Five New Winter Destinations From Toronto

Furthermore, despite these network changes, Toronto remains Air Canada's busiest hub. During a typical week in mid-November, the airline is scheduled to operate roughly 1,564 departures from the airport. It is adding several new sun destinations from the hub for the upcoming winter season.

Starting October 25, the Star Alliance member will launch a twice-weekly service to Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, using its 182-seat Airbus A321XLR aircraft. In November, it will add two weekly flights to Mérida, Mexico, followed by weekly services to Guatemala City, Quito, and Roatán in December.