Air Canada's busiest European route is London Heathrow amid growing transatlantic competition

Beyond Heathrow, Air Canada operates flights to Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK. Manchester saw only 12 flights in September—all departing from Toronto—while Edinburgh had 32 flights primarily from Toronto with a few originating in Montreal. On these routes, Air Canada competes with WestJet and Air Transat.

Notably, Air Canada does not serve London Gatwick Airport (LGW), which is served by other Canadian carriers like Air Transat and WestJet—a decision possibly influenced by frequency limits within the bilateral air service agreement between Canada and the UK.

Frankfurt in Germany and Paris Charles de Gaulle in France are also key destinations for Air Canada, each receiving over 100 flights during September. Frankfurt is served mainly from Toronto but also sees departures from Montreal and Vancouver; it is a hub for Lufthansa—Air Canada's Star Alliance partner—which allows both airlines to coordinate their schedules. However, German carrier Condor competes with Air Canada on some Frankfurt services.

Paris receives direct service from both Montreal and Toronto but faces competition from French flag carrier Air France as well as Canadian airline Air Transat on both routes. Additional French cities served by Air Canada include Toulouse, Nice, and Lyon—all flown out of Montreal.

A review of all European destinations shows that many are hubs for fellow Star Alliance members or codeshare partners—including Athens (Aegean Airlines), Lisbon (TAP Portugal), Brussels (Brussels Airlines), Vienna (Austrian Airlines), Zurich/Geneva (SWISS). The network design facilitates easier connections for passengers through shared alliance hubs.

Looking ahead to Summer 2026, Air Canada plans further expansion in Europe with new routes announced: Montreal-Catania in Italy using Boeing 787-8s three times weekly; Montreal-Palma de Mallorca in Spain using Airbus A321neo aircraft four times weekly; plus a return of Toronto-Budapest service using Boeing 787-9s four times weekly.

With these additions planned for next summer season, Air Canada's European network will span more than 30 destinations across six Canadian airports—with further reach enabled through alliance partners and codeshare agreements worldwide.

"Ultimately, these partnerships and inter-airline cooperation provide better connectivity for passengers," according to the company statement. "While the airlines enjoy cost savings by sharing resources and achieving greater economies of scale and extended networks."

In addition to alliance arrangements within Star Alliance, Air Canada's codeshare partnerships include Aer Lingus, Edelweiss, airBaltic, Turkish Airlines among others throughout Europe.