TORONTO — Air Canada is making a big play for more presence in downtown Toronto, with brand new nonstop flights to the U.S. out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport starting in spring 2026.

Announced this morning under blue skies at YTZ’s atrium, in a joint press conference with Air Canada, PortsToronto (owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport) and Nieuport Aviation, the new service will include …

• 4x daily flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, starting March 29, 2026
• 3x daily to Boston Logan International Airport, starting July 1, 2026
• 2x daily to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, starting June 1, 2026
• 1x daily to Washington Dulles International Airport, starting June 1, 2026

Starting in January 2026, Air Canada will also boost its current offering to Montreal and Ottawa, offering increased daily frequencies to both cities from YTZ. The frequency of return flights to Montreal will increase to nine from eight, and to six from four to Ottawa.

The airline is also focused on ongoing service enhancements include becoming the only carrier to offer fast, free WiFi on flights to and from Billy Bishop. The new services also come with complimentary onboard premium snacks, beer and wine, and exclusive access to the Aspire Air Canada Café for eligible domestic customers.

This new expansion complements Air Canada’s presence at Toronto Pearson with more than 600 flights a day to more than 120 destinations next summer.

“THESE FOUR U.S. MARKETS ARE HUGE FOR AIR CANADA”

Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and President, Cargo, said the start of transborder services from Billy Bishop will follow the opening of U.S. Customs Pre-Clearance at the island airport.

Today’s big announcement “has been a decade in the making,” Galardo told media, aviation and travel industry reps at the press conference. “This is our most significant expansion at Toronto Island since Air Canada first served the airport 35 years ago.”

The news about the new U.S. service comes at a time when transborder air travel is experiencing challenges, to say the least.

Certainly Air Canada and its partners never could have foreseen the shift in geopolitical headwinds, and the drop in U.S.-bound travel from the Canadian market, when it began planning this YTZ expansion years ago.

That said, Air Canada’s traffic to key U.S. routes like New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington DC hasn’t flagged in recent months, said Galardo.

“We’ve long desired to offer more service out of Billy Bishop,” he said. “This has been a long time in the making, and we started these discussions years ago. Of course there’s been a bit of erosion of demand to the U.S. But these four markets are huge for Air Canada.”

Elaborating further about Air Canada’s transborder performance, Galardo said: “We haven’t seen is a drop in business travel. The corporate market has been pretty robust. We haven’t seen major deteriorations.”

He added: “This has been an ambition for almost a decade. Our customers have been asking for a downtown option and we’re able to deliver that today. We remain very confident in our proposal here today.”

With this announcement, Galardo said Air Canada is “showing our commitment to Toronto.”

Between Billy Bishop and Toronto Pearson, Air Canada will connect the GTA to 120+ destinations globally.

“With this expansion, we can say unequivocally that Air Canada is Toronto’s airline,” said Galardo.

“A NEW ERA OF CONVENIENT CONNECTIONS”

RJ Steenstra, President & CEO PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, noted this morning that Toronto’s island airport has served Toronto for more than 85 years, dating all the way back to 1939.

There’s plenty of history here, but Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport “is firmly focused on the future. Everything we do is about enhancing and elevating the traveller experience,” said Steenstra.

Jennifer Quinn, CEO, Nieuport Aviation, called Air Canada’s YTZ expansion “a new era of convenient connections and elevated service at Billy Bishop.”

“Today is more than a milestone, it’s a reflection of the enduring power of partnership. And it sets the stage for even more transformation ahead,” said Quinn.

She added that “passengers love Billy Bishop. And they want more of it. And with today’s announcement, we are delivering just that. Today is about new routes, and it’s also about ushering in a new era of connectivity in downtown Toronto. For everyone who flies through Billy Bishop, we’re proud to give you more of what you love.”

OPERATING AS AIR CANADA EXPRESS, WITH REGIONAL PARTNER JAZZ AVIATAION

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

Air Canada says a full cabin redesign will soon begin on 25 De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft operated for Air Canada Express by Jazz. The aircraft will be equipped with next generation, ergonomic reclining seats. The installation of the new seating has an expected completion date for the program in mid-2026. Each aircraft will have 78 seats, and pitch will be unchanged.

Air Canada also notes that the cabins of the 25 Dash 8-400s will be upgraded to a new standard reflective of Air Canada ’s mainline aircraft interiors.

Air Canada’s Mark Galardo is all smiles with Air Canada crew. Air Canada’s major expansion at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, with service to New York-LGA, Boston, Chicago and Washington DC, is set to launch in spring 2026