dailynewsnblog
Some markets that do not have flights make you sit up and wonder why. 
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Lagos’ 
Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS), Nigeria, is one of them.
Influenced by Canada and Nigeria signing an expanded bilateral air service agreement last week, Air Canada immediately disclosed that it hopes to launch the route in 2027. When writing, the 
Star Alliance member had not officially announced the route. Although entirely unconnected, it comes as Air Canada pushes back on when it’ll resume flying to Dubai and Tel Aviv.
A Look At YYZ To LOS
According to Behramjee Ghadially, a senior airline network planner, African aviation specialist, and industry commentator, on LinkedIn, YYZ-LOS had 115,000 round-trip passengers last year (315 daily). This partly reflects the increasing number of Nigerians who are choosing to move to Canada. When all airlines, cabins, and passengers are considered, the average fare was US$624 each way (including a fuel surcharge).
Due to having no nonstop flights, everyone connected to another flight en route. Air France, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, KLM, and Royal Air Maroc collectively transported nearly seven in ten passengers. If Air Canada does officially announce the link, it’d become its only African route from YYZ.
Ghadially said that YYZ was “the biggest Nigeria-North America market segment in terms of point-to-point [local] passenger demand by far.” Surprisingly, traffic even outstripped New York, despite 
Delta Air Lines’ nonstop operation from 
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to LOS. While United Airlines has not flown between 
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and LOS, it continues to do so from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Air Canada’s Sole African Route* | Operations In August 2026 |
|---|---|
Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Casablanca | Daily A330-300 |
* For Now |
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What Should Air Canada Offer?
Of course, Air Canada would not only be interested in the local traffic between YYZ and LOS. In 2025, Ghadially found that 55,000 passengers flew between other cities in Canada and Nigeria, which the carrier would obviously target. Core markets include Calgary (20,000 round-trip passengers), Winnipeg (11,000), Edmonton (9,000), Montreal (8,000), and Vancouver (7,000). Ghadially notes:
“The icing on the cake is no doubt the potential of the US transit market bound to/from LOS. The top eight US markets are IAD (85,000 round-trip passengers), JFK (82,000), Houston (54,000), Dallas (31,000), Chicago (21,000), Newark (26,000), Los Angeles (17,000), and Boston (14,000). Nigerians holding a US green card do not need a transit visa to fly via Canada.”
He also suggests that Air Canada should initially launch a three-weekly service to LOS on the 298-seat Boeing 787-9. This is a common frequency when beginning a brand-new route. Given this route’s length, the frequency would mean that one frame could be used, which is desirable.
During the peak winter season, from early December through early January, a more bullish offering could exist, as “this route could sustain four to five weekly 787 flights with very high yields.” As Ghadially stated:
“If Air Canada wants to launch YYZ-LOS flights in June 2027, for example, the airline must open bookings in February 2027. It is always important to have enough time to drive awareness and sales.
Launching in June would also mean that the carrier can benefit from the Christmas demand, as most Nigerians book Canada/US-LOS tickets by mid-August. Nigerians usually fly with three suitcases in the low season, and four around Christmas and Easter. Excess baggage revenues would be significant.”
Canada Was Set To Have First Flights To Ghana In 2026
In 2026, Canada was going to have nonstop service to Accra, Ghana, for the first time. The leisure operator Air Transat planned two weekly flights from YYZ, with the Airbus A330-200 and crew to remain in West Africa for 26 hours. The route was scrapped before the first flight took off.
Despite this failed start, Canada has nonetheless welcomed nonstop service to two other African cities this year. In June 2026, Air Transat launched service from YUL to Dakar, Senegal, and Agadir, Morocco, both because of Francophone demand. Each route uses the Airbus A321LR, although the A330-200 will replace the narrowbody to Dakar in the upcoming winter. It was the first time that North America had flights to Agadir.
