Aviation

Ottawa has announced an increase in the number of direct flights permitted to bring passengers and cargo to and from China. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says there will be “an incremental increase” in flights between the countries in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s outreach visit to Beijing in January.

The demise of Spirit Airlines in the U.S. serves as a warning to smaller carriers north of the border that remain beleaguered by high fuel costs and low demand for travel to America.

By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Finnair celebrated the inauguration of a new direct flight from Toronto to Helsinki on Monday (May 4) with the arrival of Finnair flight AY 31 to a traditional water salute at Pearson airport in the early evening. The service marks a return of Finland’s national carrier to Canada after an 11-year absence.

Transat and Porter Airlines are taking another step forward in their commercial partnership by launching new Transat packages that combine Porter non-stop flights to Nassau, Grand Cayman, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.  Packages feature a curated selection of hotels in each destination, with a mix of all-inclusive and European Plan offerings depending on the property.

Air Canada says it continues to see strong demand and bookings despite higher fuel-driven fare increases. The Montreal-based airline reported net income of $48 million during the first quarter, compared with a net loss of $102 million during the same period last year.

Spirit Airlines, an impish upstart that shook the industry with its irreverent ads and deep discount fares, announced Saturday that it has gone out of business after 34 years.

Porter Airlines is flying south next winter to four new destinations. In addition to new sun routes from Eastern Canada, the carrier will introduce its first international flights from Alberta. This includes over 40 warm-weather routes for the 2026-27 season.

Air Canada reports that its Flight Operations Crew Schedulers and its In-Flight Crew Schedulers have approved a new collective agreement between the airline and the Unifor union. The four-year collective agreements are in effect until May 22, 2029.

WestJet and Air India have announced a new interline partnership to boost connectivity between India and North America beyond Toronto and Vancouver.

Statistics Canada has confirmed what most of us already know: that airfares are rising. Triggered by energy shocks resulting from the warn in Iran, the agency says ticket prices not only rose 2.9% compared with March 2025, but marked a reversal in the nearly two-year trend of annual decreases in airfares.

United Airlines’ CEO confirmed Monday that he approached rival American Airlines about a potential merger – his first public acknowledgment of his proposal – saying it would benefit travellers despite American’s refusal to engage in talks.

Flight Attendants at WestJet, represented by CUPE 8125, have issued a formal notice of dispute following more than seven months of ongoing negotiations that the union says has not produced sufficient progress on key issues.

Airports Council Int. (ACI) World, trade association of world airports, in partnership with SITA, recently announced the winners of this year’s ASQ Airport Experience Awards – considered the benchmark for excellence in airport customer experience as determined exclusively by passengers. This year three Canadian airports made the prestigious list.

Travel search engine KAYAK has launched a new Airfare Trends Dashboard offering a weekly view of how flight prices are changing over time using KAYAK search data.

Eight months into Ottawa’s investigation into flight attendants’ allegations that they’re forced to do unpaid work, the union is raising concerns that it won’t result in any change.

Air Canada will suspend service to New York’s JFK International airport from Toronto and Montreal over the summer as the war in Iran creates jet fuel shortages that have sent prices soaring. It will, however, continue to offer 34 flights a day to LaGuardia and Newark from six Canadian cities.

Air Transat has begun unveiling its 2026-27 winter program with its “first wave” of announcements that include four new routes from four different Canadian gateways; the expansion of two of its flagship routes – Toronto-Paris and Montreal-Barcelona – to year-round service; and the return of Florida flights after a summer pause.

Air Canada raised the curtain on its new long-haul cabin designs at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, this week. The first major expression of its new ‘Glowing Hearted’ standard design aims to deliver a distinctly Canadian experience, and is the culmination of what the company says its “most significant” cabin investment.“This investment is about fundamentally redefining the experience of flying with Air Canada. From the moment of stepping on board, we’re setting a new standard for how Canadians and the world connect with our brand,” said Mark Nasr, Executive VP & Chief Operations Officer at Air Canada.

An arbitrator has ordered Air Canada to grant back pay to seven pilots denied religious exemptions from the airline’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. The decision states that Air Canada violated the Canadian Human Rights Act when it placed the pilots on unpaid leave because they failed to meet the company’s bar for “sincere religious belief,” while other pilots who cleared it received more than six months of paid leave.

Canada is short an estimated 200 air traffic controllers, but and is working on building its capacity, says Nav Canada, the privately run, non-profit corporation that is responsible for training and employing the specialized workers who play a critical role in the safety of Canada’s air travel system.

WestJet guests now have the ability to book interline itineraries comprised of both WestJet and interline partner segments through the airline’s website and contact centre. The “significant enhancement” for bookings is “in addition to existing options through our travel trade partners,” says the airline.

Air Canada has launched an alternative process to resolve compensation claims in a pilot project that seeks to avert the massive backlog at the country’s transport regulator.

The number of safety incidents on Canadian runways is on the rise, having reached new highs in recent years even as the tally of extremely close calls seems to be levelling off. Data from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada shows that so-called runway incursions – when a plane, vehicle or person winds up on or near a runway when they shouldn’t be – hit a record 639 in 2024, the latest full year for which the watchdog has statistics.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrated the 40th anniversary of its service connecting Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) on April 2.

WestJet says it will be introducing a temporary $60 surcharge for certain bookings and has consolidated numerous flights due to skyrocketing fuel prices. The moves come as some U.S. carriers have also announced higher checked baggage fees to cover the increasing fuel costs.

Air Canada will fly to several new destinations for the Winter 2026-27 season, including the only non-stop flights from North America to Tenerife in the Canary Islands (beginning Oct. 25 and 31 respectively from Toronto and Montreal). The flights will operate seasonally.

Citing unpaid work as a key issue, the union representing approximately 360 WestJet Encore cabin crew members, has officially served Notice to Bargain a new Collective Agreement.