Air Canada to Launch U.S. Flights from Toronto Island in a Major Expansion at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

New daily flights to New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago.
Increased daily flight frequencies to Montreal and Ottawa.
Ongoing service improvements include becoming the only airline to offer fast, free Wi-Fi on flights to and from Billy Bishop.
The expansion will complement Air Canada's presence at Toronto Pearson with more than 600 daily flights to more than 120 destinations next summer.

MONTREAL, Oct. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Air Canada today announced a major expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport with new cross-border routes to four major U.S. cities and increased daily flights to Montreal and Ottawa. New, business-friendly frequency services further enhance the customer experience at Billy Bishop Airport, including the introduction this month of fast, free in-flight Wi-Fi, free premium in-flight snacks, beer and wine, and exclusive access to Aspire Air Canada Cafe for eligible domestic customers.

Beginning in spring 2026, Air Canada will launch new nonstop return flights four times daily to New York's LaGuardia Airport, three times daily to Boston's Logan International Airport, twice daily to Chicago O'Hare International Airport and daily to Washington Dulles International Airport. The launch of Billy Bishop's cross-border services will follow the opening of a US Customs Pre-Clearance facility at the island's airport, which will be convenient for customers flying to US airports from Canada, allowing them to clear US customs before departure. In addition, starting in January 2026, Air Canada will expand its daily service on Canada's busiest domestic routes, increasing the frequency of return flights to Montreal from eight to nine and to Ottawa from four to six.

“This is our most significant expansion on Toronto Island since Air Canada first served the airport 35 years ago. The new cross-border routes will particularly benefit our loyal customers and business travelers by creating frequent and easy connections between the heart of Canada's financial capital and the major markets of New York, Boston, Washington DC and Chicago. In addition, we “We are increasing the island's daily frequency of return flights from Toronto to Montreal and Ottawa, which are Canada's busiest business travel corridors,” said Mark Galardo, Air Canada's executive vice president and chief commercial officer and president of Cargo.

“These exciting new services reflect Air Canada's commitment to further enhancing the customer experience at Billy Bishop Airport. Our flights are the only flights from Toronto Island that offer travelers a productivity tool – fast, free in-flight Wi-Fi and the comfort of the Aspire Air Canada Café, a quiet place to work or recharge before flying. for eligible domestic customers. All customers can also enjoy the complimentary premium snacks, beer and wine we offer on board. Our expanded services on the island complement our already extensive services from Toronto Pearson, where next summer we will operate more than 600 return flights per day to 124 destinations. This expansion ensures the Greater Toronto Area and beyond will be packed associated with business and leisure travel, making Air Canada the preferred choice for travel to and from the GTA.”

“We are pleased to welcome the expansion of Air Canada's routes at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport – a milestone that underscores our shared commitment to enhancing connectivity, convenience and choice for travelers. This route expansion not only continues to strengthen Toronto as a business and leisure destination, but also reflects confidence in Toronto City Billy Bishop Airport's role as a gateway to the future of passenger-centric urban air. travel. We look forward to working with Air Canada to help shape the next chapter of growth and innovation for the airport and the city and region we proudly serve,” said RJ Steenstra, President and CEO of PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto Airport City.

“Today’s announcement represents a new era of convenience, comfort and affordability for business and leisure travel at Billy Bishop Airport,” said Jennifer Quinn, CEO of Nieuport Aviation. “With our new U.S. Customs and Border Preclearance Center making this possible next year, we will offer more destinations within reach, further strengthening our role in connecting communities and driving economic growth in Ontario and Canada.”

“This announcement is great news for Canadian travelers. With new Air Canada flights from Billy Bishop Airport in the United States, as well as increased frequency from Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal, we are strengthening regional and cross-border connectivity. These additions will make travel more convenient, help connect families across distances, support business growth and enhance the experience for Canadian travelers.” said the Rt Hon Steve MacKinnon, Federal Transport Minister.

“Today's announcement is great news for travelers across the province. This expansion not only strengthens transportation connectivity, but also supports economic growth, tourism and business opportunities in Canada and the United States – our closest trading partner. Toronto is a key travel hub and this important expansion of Billy Bishop Airport will provide more options for Ontarians and improve the customer experience,” said The Honorable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario Minister of Transport.

“We congratulate our members Air Canada, Nieuport Aviation and PortsToronto on this exciting expansion. This is exactly the kind of growth-enabling infrastructure Ontario's economy needs. By improving connectivity, reducing travel times and providing access to key markets in Canada and the US, it provides real value to businesses across the province.” said Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

New cross-border flights

New Air Canada flights from Toronto Island Airport to New York's LaGuardia Airport, Boston's Logan International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport will begin in spring 2026. With return service up to four times daily, the new routes will make it convenient to travel between the heart of Canada's financial capital and these major U.S. markets for a quick business trip or longer visit. All flights are operated as Air Canada Express by regional partner Air Canada Jazz Aviation LP on a 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. Flights from Toronto Island (YTZ) to:

New York LaGuardia (LGA) will begin March 29, 2026.

Flight	Departure YTZ	Arrives at LGA	Flight	Dispatched from LGA	YTZ arrives
AC8532	07:25	08:46	AC8531	07:55	09:34
AC8534	10:45	12:06	AC8533	10:00	11:39
AC8536	14:20	15:41	AC8535	12:55	14:34
AC8538	18:10	19:31	AC8537	18:30	20:09

Boston Logan (BOS) begins July 1, 2026.

Flight	Departure YTZ	BOS arrives	Flight	Leaving BOS	YTZ arrives
AC8542	07:15	08:44	AC8541	09:35	11:29
AC8544	12:25	13:54	AC8543	14:45	16:39
AC8546	17:20	18:49	AC8545	19:40	21:34

Chicago O'Hare (ORD) begins June 1, 2026.

Flight	Departure YTZ	ORD arrives	Flight	An operational investigation is being sent	YTZ arrives
AC8547	12:15	13:10	AC8548	07:25	10:06
AC8549	19:20	20:16	AC8550	14:00	16:41

Washington Dulles (IAD) begins June 1, 2026.

Flight	Departure YTZ	ATS arrives	Flight	IAD shipments	YTZ arrives
AC8540	14:55	16:12	AC8539	17:15	18:42

Expansion of service in Montreal, Ottawa.

In January 2026, Air Canada will add new daily flights from Toronto Island in Canada's popular and frequently visited Eastern Triangle. This includes an additional flight to Montreal, increasing the number of return flights to nine per day. Between the island and Ottawa, the carrier is adding two frequencies to bring the total number of daily return flights to the national capital from Billy Bishop to six.

Enhancing Billy Bishop's Travel Experience

Starting in October 2025, Air Canada became the first airline to offer fast, free in-flight Wi-Fi to passengers at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The industry-leading service delivers high-quality internet, giving customers gate-to-gate connectivity and uninterrupted access to productivity tools while traveling on Air Canada Express flights to and from City Airport on some of the most popular business travel routes in Canada and next year in the United States. For the first time, Wi-Fi is available on aircraft like the De Havilland Dash 8-400 anywhere in the world. The introduction of fast, free Wi-Fi complements other amenities Air Canada customers flying from Billy Bishop now enjoy, including frequent departures, free premium in-flight snacks, beer and wine, and exclusive access for eligible domestic customers to Aspire Air Canada Cafe.¹

Rethinking regional flights

A complete interior refurbishment of the 25 De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft operated by Jazz for Air Canada Express will soon begin. The program includes:

New seats

Twenty-five Dash 8-400 aircraft operated by Jazz for Air Canada Express will be equipped with Expliseat's next-generation ergonomic reclining seats. The seats will feature a new branding and design language expressed in the seat cover. All seats will be equipped with a multifunctional tablet and phone holder in the seatback, as well as a table stand. The expected completion date for the new seating program is mid-2026. Each plane will have 78 seats, and the pitch height will remain unchanged.

Salon interior redesign

The same 25 Dash 8-400 aircraft will have their cabins upgraded to a new standard that mirrors the interiors of Air Canada's mainline aircraft. The design incorporates the colors, textures and tones of the Canadian natural environment, reinforcing Air Canada's pride in being the country's flagship carrier.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's largest air travel network. Air Canada provides scheduled flights directly to more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and other countries on six continents. It has a four star rating from Skytrax. The Air Canada Aeroplan program is Canada's leading travel loyalty program where members can earn or redeem points across the world's largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, as well as through a wide range of merchandise, hotel and car rental partners. Through Air Canada Vacations, the company offers more travel options than any other Canadian tour operator to hundreds of destinations around the world, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, day tours and car rentals. Its cargo division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air cargo and service to hundreds of destinations on six continents using Air Canada passenger and cargo aircraft. Air Canada's climate ambitions include a long-term, ambitious goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. For more information, see Air Canada TCFD Disclosure. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OTCQX in the United States.

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¹ The Aspire Air Canada Café at Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport is available to Air Canada customers with Aeroplan 50K, 75K or Super Elite status, Star Alliance Gold status, and anyone with an Aeroplan premium co-branded credit card.

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