I am absolutely loving the trend of airlines making a game of their new route announcements. We recently saw both American Airlines and United Airlines tease new routes ahead of a formal announcement, and now it’s Air Canada’s turn. This should be a fun one!
In this post:
Air Canada will launch five new routes in summer of 2027
On Thursday, September 3, 2026, Air Canada will be announcing five new routes, expected to launch as of the summer of 2027. Presumably these will all be new long haul, international routes. Ahead of the announcement, the airline has published a 46-second clip with clues about what the routes could be.
Not only is this a fun guessing game, but the airline is also offering a chance to win two tickets anywhere Air Canada flies if you submit your guesses here.
Air Canada is an airline that punches above its weight when it comes to its global route network. Air Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mark Galardo, is a massive airline geek and has built an incredible network over the years, and I’m sure this announcement won’t disappoint either.
Without taking into account the clues, let’s just talk about what could enable this long haul growth. Air Canada recently started taking delivery of the Airbus A321XLR, which can be used for long haul flights in long and thin markets, so that opens up quite a few new routes.
On top of that, Air Canada is also planning on taking delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 in the coming months, though I’m not sure if the airline is putting that into the summer 2027 schedule as of now (there’s so much uncertainty with deliveries, seat certifications, etc.).
But one can also assume that the A321XLR will be placed on some existing Boeing 787 or Boeing 777 routes, freeing up those planes to launch other new routes as well.
What new route clues are in the Air Canada video?
Honestly, as much as I enjoy these videos with clues, I’m pretty bad at actually making guesses. I do have a few general thoughts and observations…
First, is there any significance to the baggage cart having “DA 20027” written on the back, beyond “27” referring to the year 2027?
Next, for the square container being loaded onto a plane, there are a bunch of airport codes on there. The only one not currently served by Air Canada is Doha (DOH), so either this is just intended to throw us off, or the airline is resuming flights to Doha, as those were cut in early 2023.
Next, looking at the bag being scanned, could we see a new route to Switzerland, based on the cross on the water bottle? Since the airline already flies to Geneva (GVA) and Zurich (ZRH), it seems like Basel (BSL) would be the only other possibility? Or could Air Canada be adding a route to Geneva out of Toronto (YYZ), which would simply represent a new route, and not a new destination?
Next, it’s interesting how the guy walking through the terminal is wearing a green shirt and a white hat, and there’s also a map of Africa. The Nigerian flag is green and white, and Air Canada even already announced it intended to launch flights to Lagos (LOS) in 2027, so that seems highly likely to me.
Next, I can’t help but think that the below thing is a clue, but I’m not even sure what that is? A dragon, or something? I wouldn’t be shocked if Air Canada announced service from Vancouver (YVR) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), given that it already flies to Bangkok (BKK) and Singapore (SIN), but I’m not sure if the clue is related to that?
Also, I don’t see any clues on the Air Canada boarding pass at the end, but I have to imagine there’s something there?
Bottom line
On September 3, 2026, Air Canada is expected to announce five new long haul destinations. Air Canada has an incredible global route network, so I’m always excited to see what the airline comes up with.
The Star Alliance carrier has now released a teaser video, inviting people to guess what will be added. These videos are always fun but tricky — I have a few guesses, but I’m sure I’m mostly wrong.
What five new destinations are you expecting Air Canada to announce?
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