Air Canada Launching New Flights To Basel, Dubrovnik, Guangzhou, Oslo, And Shannon, In 2027

A couple of days ago, Air Canada teased new long haul routes, and invited people to guess what they could be. The wait is now over, as Air Canada has unveiled its latest global expansion. There are some very cool new routes on the list, which isn’t surprising, given Air Canada’s impressive network.

Air Canada’s five new global destinations for 2027

Air Canada has announced that it will add five new international destinations, and a total of seven new routes, in the summer of 2027. Specifically, Air Canada is adding the following destinations to its network:

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• Basel, Switzerland (BSL)
• Dubrovnik, Croatia (DBV)
• Guangzhou, China (CAN)
• Oslo, Norway (OSL)
• Shannon, Ireland (SNN)

The airline is also adding two new routes to existing destinations — this includes flights from Toronto (YYZ) to Nice, France (NCE), and Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA). However, in this post I’ll focus primarily on the new destinations.

Here’s how Air Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer and network planning whiz (not an official job title!), Mark Galardo, describes this:

“Summer 2027 marks the most extensive intercontinental expansion in Air Canada’s history, cementing our position as the second largest North American carrier by global destinations served. As Canada’s flag carrier, we are further investing to better connect and position our country as an important intersection of major international demand flows under our New Frontiers strategy. From the expansive trade hub in the Pearl River Delta to the relaxing Adriatic coastline, each of our five new destinations and many schedule enhancements support commerce and tourism and create exciting new opportunities for people to explore the world.”

“Overall, our schedule reflects our commitment to championing Canada around the world, leveraging the opportunities enabled by a growing, next-generation fleet of Airbus A321XLR and wide-body aircraft, the far-reaching networks we have built at our three Canadian hubs, and the continued loyalty of our customers and Aeroplan Members. Importantly, our strategy and growth support jobs and trade, connects people and bridges the six inhabited continents via Canada. With more new aircraft arriving shortly, expect even more exciting network announcements and details regarding our initial Boeing 787-10 operations from Air Canada in the coming months.”

Let’s go over the details of each of these new routes…

New Air Canada Montreal to Basel route

Air Canada will be launching nonstop seasonal flights between Montreal (YUL) and Basel (BSL) using the Airbus A321XLR. This will represent Air Canada’s third destination in Switzerland, after Geneva (GVA) and Zurich (ZRH). This will be the second nonstop transatlantic flight to Basel, as Air Transat already serves exactly the same route.

New Air Canada Montreal to Dubrovnik route

Air Canada will be launching nonstop seasonal flights between Montreal (YUL) and Dubrovnik (DBV) using the Boeing 787. This will be the first nonstop flight between Dubrovnik and Canada, though in terms of North America service, Dubrovnik is also served by United.

New Air Canada Vancouver to Guangzhou route

Air Canada will be launching nonstop year-round flights between Vancouver (YVR) and Guangzhou (CAN) using the Boeing 787. Air Canada will be the first North American airline to fly to Guangzhou, though China Southern has a hub there, and has an extensive network between Guangzhou and North America.

New Air Canada Toronto to Oslo route

Air Canada will be launching nonstop seasonal flights between Toronto (YYZ) and Oslo (OSL) using the Airbus A321XLR. This will be the only nonstop flight to Oslo operated by an airline from North America, and the only nonstop link to Canada. Otherwise Scandinavian Airlines operates a couple of routes to North America out of Oslo.

New Air Canada Toronto to Shannon route

Air Canada will be launching nonstop seasonal flights between Toronto (YYZ) and Shannon (SNN) using the Airbus A321XLR. This will be the only nonstop flight between Shannon and Canada, though there’s quite a bit of other service from Shannon across the Atlantic. Aer Lingus flies year-round from Shannon to the United States, while Delta and United also fly seasonally to Shannon.

Well done, Air Canada, these are great new routes!

These five new destinations for Air Canada look great. I have two main thoughts.

First of all, it’s fantastic to see an airline using the Airbus A321XLR the way it’s intended, expanding into new markets, and opening up long and thin routes that may not have happened otherwise. In particular, it’s cool to see an airline from North America flying to Oslo, and to see a full service carrier flying to Basel.

The new route to Guangzhou is fascinating, since it’s not a destination served by any airline from North America. China air service in general just hasn’t recovered post-pandemic, and you can see that when looking at the networks of North American carriers, and also when looking at the recovery of Chinese carriers.

So to see Air Canada adding an all-new destination in China is quite something. Of course Air Canada has the ideal hub for this service, since it’s tough to beat the scale and geography of Vancouver.

Bottom line

Air Canada has announced its summer 2027 expansion, and we’ll see the airline adding flights to Basel, Dubrovnik, Guangzhou, Oslo, and Shannon. Three of these routes will be operated by the Airbus A321XLR, while the other two will be operated by the Boeing 787. Air Canada continues to punch above its weight with its global route network… that’s an area where Star Alliance dominates in North America!

What do you make of Air Canada’s five new global destinations?