Air Canada is set to launch fresh daily services from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to four key U.S. destinations: New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The airline’s upcoming schedule includes four round-trip flights daily to New York LaGuardia beginning in March 2026. Throughout the summer season, Air Canada plans to roll out three daily flights to Boston Logan, two to Chicago O’Hare, and one to Washington Dulles.
This move by Air Canada signifies an escalation in the competitive landscape with Porter Airlines, currently operating from Billy Bishop to the same American cities. The driving force behind this service expansion is the forthcoming U.S. customs pre-clearance facility at the Toronto Island airport, as disclosed by Roelof-Jan Steenstra, CEO of PortsToronto, during a recent press conference.
Expected to open in the near future, the pre-clearance facility will enable passengers to clear American customs before boarding their flights while still on Canadian soil. This development is crucial as Canadian travel to the U.S. is on a downward trend, with a notable decline in the number of Canadian residents returning from the U.S. by air, based on recent Statistics Canada data.
In response to this shifting landscape, several airlines, including Air Canada, have adjusted their U.S. route operations, with some routes experiencing reduced capacity or temporary suspensions. The U.S. ambassador to Canada has even hinted at the need to reevaluate airport pre-clearance procedures due to the decline in travel numbers.
In conjunction with the U.S. routes, Air Canada also revealed plans to enhance its domestic offerings by adding one daily flight to Montreal and two to Ottawa. These new routes will be serviced by 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft, as detailed in the airline’s official announcement.