Air Canada said on Wednesday it will broaden its winter route network to Europe and Latin America, moving to capture what it described as rising demand for premium international travel.
The carrier plans to inaugurate non-stop flights to Quito, Ecuador's capital, from its Toronto and Montréal hubs beginning in December this year. Those services will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
In a company statement, Air Canada noted broader industry trends, saying that airlines across North America are relying more on premium cabins, corporate travel and loyalty programmes to bolster their financial performance.
Mark Galardo, president of cargo at Air Canada, framed the Quito routes as part of a wider push into Latin America and cited associated cargo potential. He said: "We are continuing our strategic expansion into Latin America, taking advantage of continued demand strength and cargo opportunities, while leveraging a new Airbus A321 XLR base at our Toronto-Pearson global hub to enable year-round service to Copenhagen and Manchester."
The airline's winter scheduling moves follow another recent network announcement. Last week, Air Canada said it would add non-stop flights to Sapporo, with service slated to begin in December 2026.
On the labour front, Unifor, which represents around 6,000 employees at the carrier who work in airport and customer service roles, has opened collective bargaining. The union said this step comes ahead of a contract that expires on February 28, 2026.
The carrier's growth plans emphasize premium international demand and cargo as revenue streams, and the establishment of a long-range narrowbody base at Toronto-Pearson as an enabler of year-round European connectivity. At the same time, the union's bargaining process marks a potential source of operational and labour uncertainty as those talks proceed toward the contract expiration date.
Contextual notes in this report are limited to information provided by the company and the union statement; no additional sources were used.