Toronto Island sees Air Canada’s largest growth in 35 years with new US routes

Air Canada will launch new routes to four major US cities from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), calling it the “most significant expansion” at Toronto Island since it began operations there. 

The airline, Canada’s flag carrier, revealed that it will begin new services to New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago starting in Spring 2026, according to its statement released on October 23, 2025. 

“These additions will make travel more convenient, help connect families across distances, support business growth, and enhance service quality for Canadian travelers,” said Steve MacKinnon, Canada’s Minister of Transport. 

According to the airline, it will offer non-stop return flights four times a day to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), three times a day to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), twice a day to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), and once a day to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). 

All flights will be operated as Air Canada Express by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner, using a 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. 

The airline noted that the launch of transborder services from Billy Bishop will coincide with the opening of US Customs Pre-Clearance at the airport, allowing passengers flying to US destinations from Canada to complete US customs procedures before departure. 

In addition to the new US services, starting from January 2026 Air Canada will also increase its daily flights on Canada’s busiest domestic routes, raising the frequency of return flights to Montréal from eight to nine and to Ottawa from four to six. 

“This is our most significant expansion at Toronto Island since Air Canada first served the airport 35 years ago. The new transborder routes will especially benefit our loyal customers and business travelers by creating frequent and easy connections”, said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and CCO at Air Canada. 

The airline added that the expanded services at the island will enhance its offerings from Toronto Pearson, where it plans to run over 600 return flights daily to 124 destinations during the summer of 2026. Galardo mentioned that this growth ensures connectivity for the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. 

Currently, Air Canada offers scheduled service to over 180 airports across Canada, the US, and internationally across six continents. The post Toronto Island sees Air Canada’s largest growth in 35 years with new US routes appeared first on AeroTime.

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