Halifax Celebrated Record Traffic In February & Is Now Losing 3 Transatlantic Routes

Journalist - Steven has a varied background in communications, and it was this passion for writing combined with his in-depth knowledge of the aviation industry that led him to Simple Flying. A keen linguist, he also has experience in translation and interpreting. Based in Palma, Spain

Halifax / Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) entered 2026 with plenty to celebrate. Passenger traffic reached a record 4,140,668 in 2025, up 4% year over year, while international traffic jumped 19.3%, helping establish the Atlantic Canadian airport as one of the most internationally connected facilities in North America for its size.

The airport was also preparing for a record 15 non-stop European services during the 2026 summer season. That momentum is now facing a very different reality. WestJet has removed Halifax (YHZ) - Copenhagen (CPH) and Halifax (YHZ) - Madrid (MAD) from its Summer 2027 schedule after introducing both routes in 2026.

Meanwhile, Icelandair will end its Halifax (YHZ) - Reykjavik (KEF) service after October 18, 2026. The three cuts arrive at the same time that airlines are becoming more selective about secondary long-haul markets, with elevated fuel costs making marginal routes considerably harder to sustain.

A Record Year For Halifax

The contrast is particularly striking because Halifax/Stanfield International Airport's latest full-year results painted a picture of an airport moving in the opposite direction. The airport handled 4,140,668 passengers in 2025, compared with 3,979,785 in 2024, while international passenger numbers rose from 441,053 to 526,352. That 19.3% increase was substantially faster than the airport's overall growth rate.

It demonstrated that demand for international travel was expanding. The airport subsequently built on that performance by promoting a 2026 schedule containing 57 non-stop year-round and seasonal services, including the record 15 European destinations. WestJet alone offered nine European destinations from Halifax during the summer, as seen below.

The growth was therefore not simply a matter of more passengers traveling domestically through Halifax. International traffic was becoming an increasingly important part of the airport's operation, and Halifax/Stanfield International Airport had been actively expanding its European connectivity. That makes the disappearance of three transatlantic links particularly notable, although the cancellations do not erase the broader network that remains in place.

WestJet Reverses Its European Expansion

WestJet's two Halifax cancellations concern routes that were barely established before being removed from the following year's schedule. Halifax-Copenhagen began on May 28, 2026, while Halifax-Madrid launched on May 15, with both routes planned as four-times-weekly summer services using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

They were announced as part of WestJet's broader effort to expand Halifax's European network. The airline's 2026 schedule showed just how ambitious that expansion was. Copenhagen was scheduled through September 27 and Madrid through October 12, while Halifax also had WestJet service to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, London Gatwick, Lisbon and Paris.

For a mid-sized Canadian airport, that created an unusually broad collection of direct European options within a single seasonal timetable. However, WestJet's schedule changes made Halifax - Copenhagen and Halifax - Madrid unavailable for reservation in September 2026.

Furthermore, the airline has not included either route in its Summer 2027 plans. The two services are therefore being removed after their 2026 debut, placing them alongside Toronto (YYZ) - Glasgow (GLA) as part of a wider adjustment to WestJet's European network.

Icelandair Is Leaving As Well

Icelandair's Halifax operation follows a slightly different timeline. Halifax/Stanfield International Airport currently lists Reykjavik's Keflavik International Airport (KEF) as a twice-weekly Icelandair service running from June 4 through October 18, 2026. This means that the final scheduled flight falls on October 18.

The route provides more than a direct connection to Iceland because Keflavik is also useful as a connecting point within Icelandair's broader network across Europe. The timing nevertheless means Halifax will lose another European connection before the 2027 summer season begins.

Icelandair is dropping the Halifax - Reykjavik route and will not bring it back for the following summer, leaving the airport without a service that had become part of its seasonal European offering. Taken together, the Icelandair decision and WestJet's two cancellations remove three transatlantic city pairs from Halifax's future schedule in a relatively short period.

The changes do not mean Halifax is losing all of its European connectivity, since Air Canada, WestJet, and Discover Airlines continue to serve European markets. However, they do show how quickly seasonal routes can disappear when airlines reassess their economics.

Fuel Costs Are Changing The Equation

The common factor identified in reporting around the cancellations is the cost of operating aircraft in an environment of stubbornly high aviation fuel prices. Airlines are increasingly scrutinizing routes that are marginal or unprofitable, particularly as fuel expenses put pressure on the economics of services that do not consistently generate strong returns.

That matters particularly for secondary airports, where airlines may have fewer opportunities to fill aircraft with high-value connecting passengers. A flight from Halifax to Copenhagen or Madrid has to generate enough revenue from its local market to justify the aircraft, crew, fuel and airport costs, whereas a large hub can combine connecting passengers from many origins with local demand.

A route can therefore be useful to passengers while still proving difficult to make commercially sustainable. The situation is not unique to Halifax, but the airport's experience illustrates the exposure of mid-sized cities to changes in airline network strategy.

The same fuel environment can leave major hubs relatively well protected while making a thinner seasonal route more vulnerable. In Halifax's case, the speed of the reversals is especially visible because Copenhagen and Madrid had only just been introduced as new destinations for 2026.

Toronto Shows The Same Strategy

WestJet is making a similar adjustment at Toronto Pearson International Airport(YYZ), where its planned 2027 service to Glasgow (GLA) has been canceled. Rather than maintaining both Scottish destinations, WestJet is consolidating its operation around Edinburgh (EDI), a decision described as a move toward the higher-yield market.

The change means Toronto - Glasgow will be left to Air Transat as the sole operator, with the airline using the Airbus A321LR on the route. Air Canada and WestJet, meanwhile, will continue serving Edinburgh, creating a clearer concentration of capacity around that market rather than splitting WestJet's Scottish flying between two destinations.

WestJet had returned to Toronto - Glasgow in 2026 with four weekly flights beginning May 15, so the cancellation also demonstrates how quickly a route can move from expansion to consolidation. The decision does not indicate that transatlantic flying from Toronto is shrinking overall. Instead, it reflects an attempt to concentrate capacity where the airline expects stronger economics while leaving Air Transat to serve the Glasgow market.

Halifax Still Has A Substantial Network

Despite the three losses, Halifax will retain a meaningful collection of European connections. Halifax/Stanfield International Airport's published schedule includes Air Canada's year-round London Heathrow service. Meanwhile, WestJet continues to operate seasonal services to destinations including Amsterdam (AMS), Dublin (DUB), Edinburgh (EDI), London Gatwick (LGW), Lisbon (LIS), and Paris (CDG).

Discover Airlines also serves Frankfurt (FRA), and Edelweiss Air serves Zurich (ZRH). The remaining schedule also shows why the cancellations should be viewed as a restructuring rather than the disappearance of Halifax's international market. WestJet's 2026 operation included four weekly flights to Dublin and three weekly flights to London Gatwick Airport, while Edinburgh operated three times weekly.

Those routes have more established histories than the two new destinations being removed from the 2027 program. There is also evidence that airlines continue to see opportunities around Halifax, even while trimming individual routes. Air Canada added Halifax (YHZ) - Brussels (BRU) for summer 2026, while the airport continued to promote connections across Europe, North America and the Caribbean.

The airport's record 2025 traffic therefore remains an important part of the story: demand is growing, but airlines are increasingly deciding where that demand can support profitable non-stop flying. Air Transat's position on Toronto - Glasgow provides another example of how aircraft economics can shape secondary long-haul markets. The airline operates 19 A321LR jets within an all-Airbus fleet.

The type is central to its strategy of using narrowbody aircraft on routes that might not justify a larger widebody aircraft. That model is becoming particularly relevant in an environment where fuel costs are pressuring airlines across the industry. Air Transat's 2026 financial performance provides a useful indication of the challenge: its second-quarter results were affected by a $95 million fuel and Cuba-related EBITDA shock.

The episode shows why even leisure airlines built around efficient narrowbody aircraft remain exposed to sudden changes in fuel economics. For Halifax, the immediate issue is therefore not a lack of passenger growth, but the gap between overall demand and the economics of individual routes.

The airport can report record traffic while a particular city pair fails to produce the revenue required by an airline. Copenhagen, Madrid and Reykjavik are the latest examples, and their removal leaves Halifax's remaining European services carrying greater importance as carriers enter the 2027 scheduling cycle.