Air Canada’s Winter 2026-27 Route Update: What’s Truly New vs Already Served (and by Who)

Air Canada’s latest announcement (January 28, 2026)

Air Canada announced a sizable Winter 2026–27 network update across South America, Europe, and leisure routes from Calgary. Some of these routes are genuinely new nonstops from the city in question, while others already exist today (either on Air Canada or competitors) and are being extended, resumed, or expanded.

Below is the practical breakdown of what’s new versus what already exists.

New destination: Quito (UIO) from Montréal and Toronto

Air Canada is launching new nonstop flights to Quito (UIO) from:

Montréal (YUL) three times weekly
Toronto (YYZ) once weekly

Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (three-cabin service).

Is YUL–UIO / YYZ–UIO already served nonstop by other airlines?

As of now, most routings between Canada (including Montréal and Toronto) and Quito require at least one stop. This is why Air Canada is explicitly positioning Quito as a new destination.

What that means in practice:

For the Winter 2026–27 period, these flights should be a truly new nonstop option from YUL and YYZ (rather than “more frequency on an existing nonstop market”).

Toronto to Manchester (YYZ–MAN) goes year-round

Air Canada is extending Toronto–Manchester into year-round service starting late October 2026, supported by the Airbus A321XLR (notable for lie-flat Signature Class seats on a narrow-body aircraft).

Is YYZ–MAN already served nonstop by other airlines?

Yes. Toronto–Manchester already exists as a nonstop market:

Air Transat sells nonstop service on YYZ–MAN (commonly seasonal, depending on the time of year).
Air Canada also appears in nonstop schedules for YYZ–MAN (again, service pattern can vary by season).

So the news here isn’t that Manchester becomes “available nonstop for the first time,” but that:

Air Canada is making it a consistent year-round option, rather than primarily seasonal availability.

Toronto to Copenhagen (YYZ–CPH) goes year-round

Air Canada is extending Toronto–Copenhagen into year-round service starting late October 2026, also supported by the A321XLR.

Is YYZ–CPH already served nonstop by other airlines?

Yes. Toronto–Copenhagen already exists as a nonstop market:

Air Canada and SAS both appear as nonstop operators on this route.

So the “new” angle is the year-round extension (and the A321XLR deployment), not the creation of a brand-new nonstop city pair.

New Calgary winter sun: nonstop to Cancun (YYC–CUN) and Puerto Vallarta (YYC–PVR)

Air Canada is adding Calgary nonstops to:

Cancun (CUN), 4x weekly
Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 3x weekly

Operated by Air Canada Rouge on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Is YYC–CUN already served nonstop by other airlines?

Yes. Calgary–Cancun is already a nonstop market today:

WestJet operates nonstop service on YYC–CUN.

For Winter 2026–27, Air Canada’s move is best understood as:

New competition on an existing nonstop leisure route (rather than a brand-new nonstop destination from Calgary).

Is YYC–PVR already served nonstop by other airlines?

Yes. Calgary–Puerto Vallarta is already a nonstop market today:

WestJet operates nonstop service on YYC–PVR.
Flair also appears as a nonstop operator on YYC–PVR.

So this is also:

New competition (and additional capacity) on an existing nonstop market.

Expanded Latin America flying: earlier starts, more frequency

Air Canada also announced earlier seasonal starts and/or added weekly frequencies for select Latin America routes, including:

Toronto ↔ Rio de Janeiro (earlier start)
Toronto ↔ Lima (earlier start + increased frequency)
Montréal ↔ Lima (earlier start + increased frequency)
Montréal ↔ Santiago (earlier start + increased frequency)
Montréal ↔ Bogotá (increased frequency; Dreamliner aircraft)

Are these markets already served nonstop?

These are primarily expansions of routes that already exist (rather than brand-new nonstops):

Toronto–Lima and Montréal–Lima have been part of Air Canada’s Latin America network (often as seasonal service).
Montréal–Santiago recently launched as a new nonstop market and is being strengthened with an earlier start and more frequency.
Montréal–Bogotá already exists as a nonstop market and is also served by another carrier (Avianca appears as a nonstop operator), so Air Canada’s change is increased capacity and improved product consistency (widebody scheduling).

In plain terms:

Quito is the big “new nonstop” headline.
Europe is about making existing nonstop markets year-round (and using the A321XLR).
Calgary to Mexico is new Air Canada service on markets that already have nonstop flights with other carriers.
Latin America growth is mostly about earlier starts and more frequency on routes that already exist.

Why this mix matters for travelers

If you’re booking with cash:

New competition on established leisure routes (like Calgary–Mexico) can pressure prices and add more date options.
Year-round transatlantic service can reduce the “seasonal squeeze” where prices jump because there are fewer nonstop seats.

If you’re booking with Aeroplan:

New routes and schedule extensions can create more opportunities to find award space, especially when schedules first load and before demand patterns settle.

Bottom line

Air Canada’s January 28, 2026 announcement is a blend of:

Truly new nonstops (Quito from Montréal and Toronto)
Year-round upgrades of existing nonstop markets (Toronto–Manchester and Toronto–Copenhagen)
New Air Canada competition on already-served leisure routes (Calgary–Cancun and Calgary–Puerto Vallarta)
Expanded seasonal Latin America flying (earlier starts and added frequencies)