Air Canada unveils four new narrowbody routes, including A321XLR flights to Berlin

Air Canada has unveiled four new narrowbody routes for the upcoming summer 2026 season, including one new Airbus A321XLR itinerary, which will connect Montreal, Canada, with Berlin, Germany. The Canadian airline will also resume flying between Montreal and Tel Aviv, Israel, operated with a Boeing 787-9.

On November 24, 2025, Air Canada unveiled five new or returning routes, which include a quartet that will be operated with single-aisle aircraft. First, from July 2, 2026, until October 11, 2026, the Canadian carrier will utilize an A321XLR to fly between Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) three times per week.

The flight, served with an A321XLR, will be the first connection between the two cities since at least 2000, which includes the now-defunct main gateway of Berlin, Tegel Airport (TXL), according to Cirium’s Diio Mi.

Air Canada had served TXL from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) seasonally in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Another new route from YUL will see a narrowbody aircraft “offering a choice of Premium and Economy cabins” flying to Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE). The seasonal connection will run between June 10, 2026, and October 12, 2026, and will directly compete against Air Transat’s services, which include four weekly A321LR departures between YUL and NTE in June 2026.

Air Transat has also scheduled the A330-200 to fly from YUL to NTE in June 2026, per Cirium’s Diio Mi.

Air Canada’s booking engine showed that the narrowbody aircraft, equipped with premium economy and economy cabins, will be a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Unlike the A321XLR, which offers lie-flat business class seats, the Canadian carrier’s 737 MAX 8s, currently scheduled to fly the route, are equipped with premium economy seats that provide “greater recline” in a larger seat and more “comfortable headrests.”

However, on November 20, Air Canada announced that all of its 737 MAX 8s will move to Air Canada Rouge through 2026 and will be updated with new cabins that will feature 12 business, 18 premium economy, and 147 economy seats.

Another 737 MAX 8 route is the seasonal connection between YYZ and Ponta Delgada João Paulo II Airport (PDL), online between June 11, 2026, and September 6, 2026. The service will depart YYZ on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Incidentally, just seven days ago, WestJet announced that, subject to government approval, it will also launch flights between YYZ and PDL, operated four times per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. As such, while the two Canadian airlines will compete, they will do so without overlapping their departure days.

Azores Airlines has also scheduled seven weekly departures between YYZ and PDL, including double-daily services on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The fourth new narrowbody – 737 MAX 8 – route is between Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) and Brussels Airport (BRU). Flown three times per week between June 18, 2026, and September 6, 2026, the route will leverage Brussels Airlines’ African network for onward connections to the continent.

Cirium’s Diio Mi showed that in June 2026, Air Canada’s only two African routes are from YUL to Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG) and Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN).

The Canadian carrier also plans daily flights from YUL to BRU, and four weekly departures from YYZ to the Belgian capital during the upcoming summer season. (YUL to BRU is a year-round connection.)

Lastly, Air Canada is returning to flying between YUL and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), offering departures with a 787-9 from Canada on Fridays and Sundays between June 5, 2026, and October 23, 2026. The season’s last return flight from TLV will depart on October 24, 2026.

Other than the new routes, the Canadian carrier had previously scheduled or announced seven other narrowbody connections from Canada to Europe, which are displayed below:

Out of the seven routes on the map above, four are scheduled to be flown by the A321XLR from YUL: Edinburgh Airport (EDI), Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI), Porto Airport (OPO), and Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS).