Aviation

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its Long-Term Demand Projections (LTDP) for air travel, showing that global air passenger demand is expected to more than double by 2050.

With jet fuel prices rising above $100 as the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies, the cost pressure on airlines intensifies as the summer travel season approaches. Experts say it’s not a question of if airfares will go up, but when, for how long and by how much. The impact may be felt most on long-haul international routes, which burn significantly more fuel than shorter flights.

Starting June 15, the Ontario communities of Niagara, Sarnia and Muskoka will be linked directly to Toronto Pearson International Airport thanks to extended Air Canada Landline luxury motorcoach service.

Airlines across the globe have started to hike fares and fuel surcharges in response surging oil prices sparked by the war in Iran, and Canada is no exception. Several carriers indicated this week that higher ticket prices are likely – or already a reality – thanks to cost pressures caused by fallout from the conflict, which entered its 12th day on Wednesday.

Twelve years after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished with 239 people aboard, a renewed deep-sea search in the southern Indian Ocean has so far failed to locate the missing aircraft, Malaysian authorities say, as families press for the effort to continue.

Transat A.T. Inc. shareholders have rejected media magnate Pierre Karl Péladeau’s bid to seize effective control of the company’s board on Tuesday, opting instead to stay the course.

American Airlines has received approval to become the first U.S. airline to resume flights to Venezuela. Even though the State Department continues to warn Americans not to travel to the South American country, the government cleared the way for the airline to begin scheduling flights there.

Long-awaited, much anticipated U.S. preclearance operations open today (March 10) at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility requires all travellers to complete U.S. immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections before departure. The result – a faster, more seamless arrival in the United States.

Air Canada’s first of 45 updated Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft has entered service at Rouge, marking the latest step in the carrier’s comprehensive cabin renewal program across the fleet. The rest of the aircraft are expected to transition to Rouge by the end of the year.

Most passengers boarding a flight on a cold winter morning don’t give much thought to the trucks and equipment moving around their aircraft. Among them are de-icing teams – carrying out a procedure that is absolutely essential to flight safety in cold weather.

Media magnate Pierre Karl Péladeau has failed to convince a pair of leading proxy advisory firms to back his bid to overhaul the board at Transat A.T. Inc. and seize effective control of the travel company.

Calling it ‘a new era of long-haul’ travel, Air Canada has announced the next phase of its fleet modernization program with the purchase of the Airbus A350-1000 widebody aircraft. The airline will add eight of the aircraft to its fleet and has rights to buy eight more with deliveries scheduled to begin in the second half of 2030.

A new destination in Austin, Texas, plus an updated presence in Chicago at O’Hare International Airport are among the highlights as Porter Airlines adds two airports and three routes to its growing North American network.

Air Canada and Turkish-based Pegasus Airlines have announced a new interline agreement that will enable clients to book travel on nine Pegasus-operated routes to Istanbul and the Aegean coastal city of Izmir via several major European gateways.

Transat took flight on Feb. 18 with a trio of seasonal sun routes from eastern Canada, including non-stop flights from Quebec City, Charlottetown and Fredericton. Destination include Guadeloupe and Cancun.

An arbitrator reviewing wages for flight attendants at Air Canada has finalized rates at the airline, bringing an end to the labour dispute that saw travel disrupted for thousands of people last summer. But the bargaining committee for the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says it was not the outcome the union fought to achieve.

WestJet Rewards and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members can now earn points with their preferred loyalty program on each other’s entire network including VS-WS codeshare flights. The update to the partnership particularly benefits WestJet guests travelling on Virgin Atlantic’s Toronto-London (LHR) route, which connects Canadians travelling through Pearson airport to Virgin Atlantic’s primary hub at London Heathrow.

Major airlines are claiming the initial findings of a federal probe clear their industry of allegations of unpaid work, but Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu says investigators need more data before the issue is settled.

Air Transat says it’s cancelling its U.S. flights for the 2026 summer season as it looks to better manage its resources. A spokeswoman for the airline says flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in Florida will start gradually winding down in the spring. 

Porter Airlines reports it has achieved a significant operational milestone with registration in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program.

Air travel continues to grow, yet is constrained by two key problems, says IATA, which released its 2025 passenger market performance results showing 5.3% growth – 7.1% international, 2.4% domestic – over 2024. Load factors were 83.6%.

Canadians in Cuba are waiting for flights home after the suspension of service by all three major Canadian airlines as an energy crisis worsens in the nation amid a U.S. oil blockade. Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat each said on Monday that they were cancelling flights to Cuba, citing a shortage of aviation fuel.

WestJet is expanding its domestic network with new non-stop summer service between Calgary (YYC) and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. (YAM), North Bay, Ont. (YYB) and Campbell River, B.C. (YBL). The airline is also adding non-stop seasonal service between Terrace, B.C. (YXT) and Edmonton (YEG), strengthening domestic connectivity within Western Canada.

Porter Airlines inaugurated nonstop flights between Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Nassau, Bahamas on Thursday, marking the airline’s first Caribbean service from Montreal. The winter seasonal service will operate up to three times weekly and complement existing service from Toronto Pearson and Ottawa.

Air Transat has announced plans to start a new loyalty program with Desjardins Group and Visa. The launch, planned for the second half of this year, will offer travellers exclusive benefits and an improved experience, the airline said.

In the wake of a backlash sparked by a viral video, WestJet says it will scrap a new seat configuration that squeezed an extra row on board many of its planes and left passengers with less legroom – and the airline with a budding customer exodus.