TORONTO — Toronto Pearson International Airport, on track to welcome nearly 48 million passengers in 2017, will see several new airlines enter the local market, as well as expanded service from existing carriers and more frequent flights on some high demand routes in summer 2018.

Air Canada will offer new direct service to Buenos Aires as well as new routes from Toronto to Providence, RI and Omaha, NB, and Nanaimo and Kamloops, B.C.

Flair Airlines will operate for its first summer out of Toronto Pearson after starting service to Edmonton and Kelowna this month.

Internationally Air Canada’s new routes include Bucharest, Zagreb, Porto, and Shannon.

British Airways will add capacity to the UK, with three times weekly service to London Gatwick.

The UK and Europe are experiencing notably strong demand from Toronto region travellers and new carriers serving this area in summer 2018 include Primera Air, offering service three times weekly to Birmingham and London Stansted, UK and four times weekly service to Paris, France.

Eastern Europe will also see new choice and connectivity Ukraine International Airlines, flying three times weekly to Kiev.

“Toronto Pearson is well on its way to becoming a mega hub airport, as evidenced by the addition of these new routes and partnerships on the back of strong passenger traffic growth,” said Kim Stangeby, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. “All of this activity confers greater benefits on the region, Ontario and Canada in the form of enhanced trade and connectivity, making this a shared journey of growth for Toronto Pearson and the country at large.”