Air Transat, recently crowned World’s Best Leisure Airline at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards, has announced the launch of a new year-round non-stop service connecting Toronto to Istanbul. Set to begin operations on December 6, 2025, the flight will run twice weekly—on Tuesdays and Saturdays—creating a direct bridge between Canada’s largest city and Türkiye’s cultural and economic capital.
The announcement is part of a broader collaboration with Turkish Airlines through an interline partnership. This strategic move will not only boost connectivity between Canada and Türkiye, but also offer passengers seamless access to Turkish Airlines’ extensive global network across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. For Canadian travelers, this means smoother connections to far-reaching destinations without the need to book multiple separate tickets.
Strengthening Canada–Türkiye Travel Links
The introduction of the Toronto–Istanbul route comes at a time of growing demand for air travel between the two countries. Istanbul has become increasingly accessible for Canadians since Türkiye lifted visa requirements in 2024. The city’s appeal as a tourism hotspot—famed for its historic landmarks, vibrant culture, and culinary experiences—continues to rise.
For Turkish citizens, the new route offers enhanced access to Canada’s tourism, education, and business sectors, contributing to bilateral engagement on multiple fronts. The partnership allows travelers to check through luggage to their final destinations, benefit from coordinated schedules, and enjoy more flexible ticketing options.
The new Istanbul service will also benefit from Air Transat’s existing joint venture with Porter Airlines. Passengers from Montreal, Ottawa, the Maritimes, and even Western Canada will have easier connections to the Toronto–Istanbul flight, thanks to optimized domestic routing. This integrated network provides a competitive alternative to major legacy carriers, especially for leisure travelers seeking affordability without sacrificing comfort or convenience.
Porter Airlines’ Toronto Pearson hub plays a central role in feeding domestic traffic into the new international route. Travelers from Halifax, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and other regional centers will now find it easier to reach Istanbul, with streamlined connections and simplified itineraries under the Air Transat brand.
Istanbul Airport serves as a major global aviation hub and Turkish Airlines’ primary base. The interline agreement extends Air Transat’s reach far beyond Türkiye by enabling passengers to connect to cities such as Dubai, Nairobi, Mumbai, and Bangkok with a single booking and coordinated itineraries. This opens new opportunities for Canadian travelers to explore destinations across three continents.
Conversely, travelers from Türkiye, and onward from Africa or Asia, can now enjoy simplified journeys to Canadian destinations via Toronto. Whether for family visits, academic pursuits, or tourism, the new route promises to streamline east–west travel with fewer stops and smoother transitions.
Tickets for the Toronto–Istanbul route are expected to be available for purchase within days. Air Transat anticipates strong demand from both Canadian and international travelers looking to explore Türkiye and beyond. The airline has positioned itself as a flexible and modern alternative in the transatlantic market, and this expansion cements its ambition to grow eastward.
By tapping into Turkish Airlines’ vast international presence and leveraging Porter Airlines’ domestic network, Air Transat continues to build a robust ecosystem that favors global leisure travel. The Toronto–Istanbul flight is not just a new route—it is a gateway to a wider world for Canadians, and a welcome path into North America for international travelers.
