In the latest update, Air Canada revealed that it has ended its one-stop, fifth freedom service from Toronto to Mumbai via London Heathrow. Although only a seasonal route, the carrier’s schedule submission to Cirium Diio shows that it won’t operate next winter.

The exact reason for the elimination is unknown. Of course, it’d be easy to say it’s because it did insufficiently well financially or in terms of network contribution. Similarly, it’d be convenient to say that the price and availability of jet fuel might have contributed to the decision. However, as this article shows, this was the latest of Air Canada’s attempts to make winter flights via Heathrow work.

Air Canada Pulls Toronto-Mumbai Via Heathrow

Credit: GCMap

The Star Alliance member last operated this very long route in March 2026. Until this weekend’s schedule update, the winter-only service was due to return at the end of October, when Air Canada, like other northern operators, switch to winter schedules based on IATA slot seasons. But all flights have been removed.

Between October 2025 and March 2026, Air Canada served this market four times a week on the 247-seat Boeing 787-9. Flying back to Canada meant the block time was up to 22h 20m. It was the carrier’s second-longest link by block time. This was influenced by headwinds, the inability to fly over Russian airspace, and, from February 2026, having to detour to avoid Iranian airspace.

Air Canada would like to fly nonstop to/from Mumbai, as it did, particularly between 2017 and 2020. But given that it cannot fly over Russia, which makes it significantly more problematic, nearly all flights since 2022 have stopped en route. After ending Toronto-London Heathrow-Mumbai flights in early 2024, it decided to fly nonstop to Mumbai in December 2024. But services back home stopped en route in Frankfurt to refuel and change crew. The Heathrow stopover in both directions returned the following winter.

An On-Off Relationship For One-Stop Flights

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Driven by the continuing war in Ukraine and the wider consequences, Air Canada has attempted various one-stop, fifth freedom rights to India. Toronto-Heathrow-Mumbai operated in winter 2022/2023, winter 2023/2024, and again in winter 2025/2026.

In winter 2024/2025, Air Canada flew Calgary-Heathrow-Delhi and vice versa. This very long route was served daily on both the 787-9 and the 777-300ER. Air Canada’s first departure from its homeland was on October 26, 2024, with the final flight leaving North America on March 27, 2025. It replaced Toronto-Heathrow-Mumbai.

You would be forgiven for thinking this service to/from Alberta was just a way to use Heathrow slots during the offseason for Canada-UK travel and to boost Calgary-Heathrow loads. But influenced by 50,000+ Indians and Canadian Indians living in Greater Calgary, Delhi is a large market. According to booking data, approximately 128,000 passengers traveled in 2025.

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What India Routes Does Air Canada Plan In Winter 2026/2027?

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

When writing on April 21, the airline has scheduled two routes to India in the upcoming winter, down by one year-over-year. It is due to operate daily from Toronto to Delhi on the 777-200LR, along with five weekly flights from Montreal to Delhi on the 787-9. No services are scheduled to/from Mumbai, but that may change. Air Canada has been contacted for comment.

The dominance of Toronto to Delhi is not surprising. In 2025, 660,000 round-trip passengers flew between the two cities, equivalent to 1,800+ passengers daily. These figures include everyone: those who flew nonstop and those who connected at a hub en route. It was the largest market between North America and India.

An estimated 45% of the passengers were indirect; they transferred to another flight. The top five hubs for transit traffic were London Heathrow, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, and Warsaw. While the first three airports are entirely unsurprising, the last two are not. The capitals of Ethiopia and Poland had more Toronto-Delhi passengers than Qatar Airways via Doha.