Air Transat will launch a new year‑round nonstop service between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Istanbul Airport starting December 6, 2025, marking one of the most significant network expansions in the airline’s history. The route will operate twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, using the carrier’s wide‑body Airbus A330 aircraft.
The new service positions Istanbul as Air Transat’s longest eastbound flight, slightly surpassing the distance of its Toronto–Athens route. The airline aims to capture growing demand between Canada and Türkiye, a market that saw more than 330,000 two‑way passengers in 2024, with Toronto–Istanbul alone accounting for nearly 132,000 travelers.
To enhance connectivity, Air Transat has also established an interline partnership with Turkish Airlines, enabling passengers to book seamless itineraries beyond Istanbul to over 100 destinations across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. This cooperation complements Air Transat’s existing joint venture with Porter Airlines, which will feed traffic from Western Canada, Ottawa, Montreal, and the Maritimes into the new Istanbul service.
The launch comes at a time when Canadian leisure travelers increasingly choose Türkiye as a value‑oriented alternative to Western Europe, supported by visa‑free entry for Canadian citizens since 2024. Industry analysts expect the new route to stimulate demand rather than saturate the corridor, despite existing competition from Turkish Airlines and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
With this expansion, Air Transat strengthens its Toronto hub and broadens its international footprint, offering Canadian travelers a direct link to one of the world’s fastest‑growing global aviation hubs.
