Canada has denied Turkish Airlines’ request to increase its flights to the country for the upcoming northern summer season. The airline had applied for an additional five weekly services, which would have been a temporary increase from April 1 to October 31, 2025. This would have raised Turkish Airlines’ total flights to Canada from 12 to 17 per week, marking a 42% increase in services.
Turkish Airlines has been operating in Canada since 2009, with current routes including Istanbul to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The proposed expansion included daily flights to Toronto and increased frequencies to Montreal and Vancouver.
A senior airline network planner commented on the application: “Asking for such a capacity increase is a bit too rich for Canadian authorities. Turkish Airlines should have just applied to increase Toronto to daily, which would be a much more reasonable 17% increase, which shouldn’t have been an issue getting approved.”
The Canadian authorities invited feedback from interested parties before making their decision. Air Canada and Air Transat opposed the request, arguing that the extra capacity was “unreasonable excessive” and not necessary due to lack of prospective growth. In contrast, Canadian airport authorities supported the expansion, citing increased demand for travel between Türkiye and Canada.
Toronto’s airport authority noted that traffic between Türkiye and Toronto was up by 23% in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. They argued that “the [current] Agreement does not permit adequate capacity to serve the rapidly growing demand.”
Despite this setback for Turkish Airlines, partnerships between airlines sometimes offer alternative solutions for expanding flight rights. For instance, Emirates partnered with Air Canada in recent years, leading Air Canada to launch new routes from Vancouver-Dubai while increasing its Toronto-Dubai service.
Currently, both Turkish and Canadian airlines are entitled under bilateral agreements to operate up to 12 weekly flights each between the two countries; however, only half of these rights are being utilized.
There is speculation about whether Turkish Airlines could partner with Air Canada or another carrier as a means of expanding their presence in the Canadian market. Such collaboration might allow them access more flight rights or explore year-round service expansions.
Istanbul Airport continues its efforts to grow its airline portfolio by welcoming multiple Star Alliance members recently. Fellow Star member Air Canada could potentially be an attractive partner if it chooses further collaboration opportunities at Istanbul Airport.
