dailynewsnblog
That did not take long. In late November 2025, Air Transat revealed a groundbreaking new route: Toronto to Accra. It was to become Canada’s first passenger service to Ghana and the only African route operated by a Canadian carrier from Toronto.
But no more. As identified by Aeroroutes, the long route has been entirely pulled from sale. In fact, examining Air Transat’s schedule submission to OAG indicates that it was removed two weeks ago. It’s just that the world did not notice.
What Air Transat Had Planned
The leisure operator was due to take off from 
Toronto to Ghana’s capital on June 27, with a twice-weekly service on the Airbus A330-200. The aircraft and crew were to remain overnight in West Africa for 26 hours, with the schedule shown below. While this would mean less aircraft productivity and higher parking charges, it’d result in far lower stopover costs for the many crew.
It was to be the airline’s first route from Canada’s busiest airport to Africa. It was revealed shortly after the signing of a bilateral air service agreement between the two nations earlier in 2025. Many parts of the world still rely on ASAs, which dictate market access and the degree to which airlines from each nation may operate.
With a maximum block time of 11h 35m, Air Transat’s planned route was to be its new longest service. Not so now. Instead, service from Istanbul Airport back to Toronto, which began in December 2025, is now number one. It is timed up to 11h 20m. The airline’s offering from Toronto to Rio de Janeiro, which commenced in February, is now second (up to 11h).
|
Days |
Toronto To Accra; Local Times |
Days |
Accra To Toronto; Local Times |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wednesdays and Sundays |
6:00 pm-9:05 am+1 (11h 5m) |
Mondays and Thursdays |
11:05 am-6:40 pm (11h 35m) |
It Was Predicted To Be Tough
Booking data shows that about 66,000 round-trip passengers flew indirectly between Canada and Accra last year. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of passengers—around 70%—flew to/from Toronto. The capital of Ghana was Toronto’s second-largest unserved African market, behind the much-larger Lagos. And it was Canada’s third-largest unserved African market, after Toronto-Lagos and Montreal-Cairo.
This route was predicted to be challenging. But it was expected that it would at least begin. While the exact reasons for the cessation before the first flight are unknown, it’s likely to be a combination of insufficient bookings or the rising fuel price which undermined the route’s economics or both. Air Transat has been contacted for comment.
Speaking to Simple Flying when the Anglophone route was announced in November, Behramjee Ghadially—senior airline network planner, African aviation specialist, and industry commentator—stated how tough it would be:
“It will suffer from a load imbalance [i.e., very different bookings in each direction], from having no US feed, and from having hardly any domestic Canada feed.”
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What Might Happen To Air Transat’s Coming Dakar Route?
Ghadially has form for predicting route failures. He also said that United Airlines would end flights between Washington Dulles and Dakar after less than a year, and that is exactly what happened.
On March 24, Ghadially suggested that he’d not be surprised if Air Transat pulls its upcoming Montreal-Dakar route. This brand-new market is due to begin on June 17, with a twice-weekly operation during the summer on the 199-seat A321LR. Ghadially said:
“Even if fuel prices are reduced by 20% versus today’s price, the route’s economics are just not justifiable on the A321LR. And the demand will be directional. In the direction with high demand, there will be a baggage payload restriction. With only a twice-weekly service, passengers who don’t receive their bags will have to wait three days.
For transatlantic narrowbody routes to succeed, yields and loads must be high in business cabins. Unfortunately for Air Transat, this does not hold true for either requirement, as it’s a leisure-focused carrier. Its Club Class cabin is effectively premium economy.”
Of course, Air Transat is well-known for flying its LRs across the Atlantic. In Q3 2026, the latest data shows that over half of its transatlantic flights, some 54%, will be on A321s. A record number of services will be on the type, with a quarter more departures than the prior record, which was set in Q3 2024.
