Fancy a trip to Canada? These airlines are launching new routes from Europe

European Flyers Are Turning Northward: A Wave of New Transatlantic Routes Connects the Continent to Canada

Usagevpn.com – The transatlantic travel landscape is shifting. As political turbulence in the United States dampens enthusiasm among European holidaymakers, a noticeable portion of the continent’s outbound leisure traffic is redirecting itself northward. Canada, long a secondary destination for many European itineraries, is now absorbing that displaced demand with a flurry of new airline capacity. Several carriers have already opened fresh routes this summer, and a second tranche of seasonal services is queued for 2027, signalling that the trend is structural rather than a one-season blip.

WestJet Opens Multiple European Gates

The Canadian carrier WestJet moved first. In May it began operating a direct service between Cardiff, in south-east Wales, and Toronto, giving Welsh travellers a nonstop option that previously required a connection through London or Dublin. Routes from Glasgow and from Ponta Delgada on the Azores followed in May and June respectively, extending the airline’s European footprint into Scotland and the Atlantic archipelago.

Working out of its eastern hub in Halifax, Nova Scotia, WestJet simultaneously launched three additional European links: Madrid, Lisbon, and Copenhagen. Those three cities collectively represent a cross-section of Iberian and Scandinavian leisure demand, and their inclusion suggests the airline is testing whether year-round or near-year-round schedules can sustain the frequencies.

Air Canada’s 2027 Seasonal Expansion

The country’s flag carrier, Air Canada, has announced a broader seasonal programme for the summer of 2027. From Toronto, the airline will fly to Oslo in Norway, Shannon in Ireland, and Nice on the French Riviera, all commencing in June. From its Montréal base, seasonal services will reach Dubrovnik in Croatia (May) and Basel in Switzerland (June). The choice of destinations is telling: each city anchors a distinct European leisure corridor—Scandinavian fjords, Irish coastal tourism, Mediterranean sun, Adriatic heritage, and Alpine-adjacent culture—rather than duplicating existing high-frequency business routes.

The timing matters. Because many of these new flights are seasonal, they will concentrate in the May-through-September window, precisely when northern European weather makes outdoor sightseeing viable. Travellers planning a Canadian itinerary should therefore book well ahead of the summer peak, as seat inventory on newly opened routes tends to sell through quickly in the first weeks of operation.

What the New Routes Unlock: Three Cities, Three Very Different Experiences

Toronto – Canada’s Culinary and Cultural Engine

Though Ottawa holds the title of national capital, Toronto is the country’s largest metropolis and, increasingly, its primary international gateway. The city’s reputation as a food destination rests on a genuinely eclectic dining scene. Classic comfort dishes such as poutine—fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy—sit alongside hybrid creations born of decades of immigration: Jamaican-Italian fusion plates, sushi-topped pizza, and dozens of other combinations that have no precedent elsewhere.

For the visually inclined, the downtown skyline is dominated by the CN Tower, whose 342-metre observation deck includes an outdoor glass floor and a rotating restaurant. More adventurous visitors can walk the exterior SkyWalk ledge encircling the tower’s pod. Ground-level exploration rewards those who wander Kensington Market, a dense grid of shops and eateries representing dozens of national cuisines, or the Distillery District, a converted industrial quarter now filled with galleries, boutiques, and craft breweries.

In the warmer months, the Toronto Islands—accessible by a short ferry ride from the waterfront—offer beaches, cycling paths, and a quieter counterpoint to the city’s pace. Day-trippers can also reach Niagara Falls, roughly a two-hour drive west, or venture into the Muskoka Lakes region, where cottage country and freshwater paddling define the summer rhythm.

Montréal – Old World Texture in a French-Canadian Setting

Situated in the francophone province of Québec, Montréal was historically the commercial heart of the country. That legacy persists in the city’s architecture and street life. Old Montréal, with its cobblestone lanes, fortified walls, and 17th-century churches, rewards slow, unhurried walking. Beneath the surface, the city’s vast underground network—over 30 kilometres of heated tunnels linking metro stations, shopping centres, and office blocks—shelters pedestrians from both the humid intensity of July and the sub-zero grip of January.

The Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood, long celebrated as one of North America’s most vibrant LGBTQ+ districts, packs dozens of bars, live-music venues, and late-night dining options into a few compact blocks. Comfortable footwear is non-negotiable: the city’s appeal is fundamentally pedestrian, and a full day of exploration covers considerable ground.

Halifax – A Coastal Launchpad for Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s capital sits on a natural harbour and serves as the most practical base for exploring the province’s maritime heritage. Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site roughly two hours south, is the best-preserved example of a planned British colonial town in North America, its grid of narrow lanes and timbered waterfront unchanged since the 1750s. Further along the coast, Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse perches on a granite headland that has become one of the most photographed spots in Atlantic Canada, while the fishing village of Mahone Bay offers a gentler, working-harbour atmosphere with a small but lively restaurant scene.

For European travellers arriving on the new WestJet services from Madrid, Lisbon, or Copenhagen, Halifax’s compact size and English-language infrastructure make it an accessible first Canadian destination, while its proximity to the open Atlantic gives it a distinctly maritime character that neither Toronto nor Montréal replicates.

Practical Considerations for the Inbound Traveller

Canadian entry requirements for most European nationals remain straightforward: an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) is needed for short stays, and no visa is required for visits under ninety days. Currency is the Canadian dollar, which has traded at a discount to both the euro and the pound in recent years, making domestic prices comparatively favourable. Language is not a barrier in Toronto or Halifax, where English predominates; in Montréal, bilingual signage is ubiquitous, though French remains the working language of government and much of daily commerce.

The convergence of new airline capacity, a favourable exchange rate, and a political climate that has made the southern neighbour less appealing creates a window in which European travellers can experience Canada’s three distinct urban and coastal identities without the friction of multi-city connections. The routes are seasonal, the demand is rising, and the booking calendar for summer 2027 will fill faster than the previous cycle. Those inclined to join the northward shift would be wise to secure seats early.