It’s been an exciting year for Air Canada, with the airline adding a total of 14 new routes, including seven that are still to come online between now and Christmas. The airline has already added Budapest, San Antonio, Catania, Nantes, Palma de Mallorca, Ponta Delgada, and Berlin.

This October, the airline’s newest route to Tenerife will be added to the airline’s route map, giving Canadians a new way to get to the Canary Islands of Spain. This popular tourist destination is famed for its unique geography and abundance of beachfront resorts. These new links are all thanks to the versatility of the carrier’s new Airbus A321XLR.

14 Routes This Year Added To The Air Canada Network

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In May this year, Air Canada added its first of 14 new routes for the year, with San Antonio International Airport (SAT) becoming the airline’s latest trans-border route. In a year that travel to and from Canada to US has been on ice, San Antonio was the only new route to the United States that has been added. The link runs seasonally from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).

June was the airline’s busiest month so far for new services, as the airline launched a collection of European routes ready for the summer rush. These destinations included Budapest (BUD) and Ponta Delgada (PDL) from Toronto, and Catania (CTA), Nantes NTE), and Palma de Mallorca (PMI) from Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL). Montreal to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) was then added in July.

What makes Air Canada’s entry to Ponta Delgada interesting is that it marks the third airline to begin flying to the popular tourist destination of the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atlantic Ocean. Azores Airlines already operates the route year-round, while WestJet has a seasonal service.

The Canary Islands And Yucatán Are Up Next

Credit: Air Canada

As mentioned, this coming October will be Air Canada’s latest route addition, making it the only Canadian airline to fly to Tenerife South Airport (TFS), while complementing Air Transat’s service from Montreal and Toronto to Gran Canaria. Air Canada’s service to Tenerife will fly from both Toronto and Montreal. The service is set to begin from Toronto on October 25, while Montreal goes online on October 31.

Mérida (MID), in the Mexican state of Yucatán, is up next, as the airline adds another Mexican gateway for the Northern Hemisphere winter season. Mexico is a popular destination for Canadians, especially across the winter, as they look to escape to warmer temperatures in the south. The service will run from Toronto.

Since Air Canada began serving Mexico from Toronto and Montreal in 1954, Mexico has remained an integral part of the Air Canada network, boosting trade and providing a range of unique tourist destinations for snowbirds. The airline also offers Mexicans a robust network of one-stop flights across the Air Canada global network to destinations such as Asia and Europe.

A Busy Month Of December For Air Canada

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In December alone, Air Canada will add five new routes as it broadens its reach into the Caribbean and Latin America. Quito (UIO) in Ecuador and Roatán (RTB), Honduras will have new services from both Toronto and Montreal.

Mazatlán will be added from Vancouver this December and will be the airline’s only nonstop service to the Pacific shoreline in the state of Sinaloa. Santo Domingo (SDQ) in the Dominican Republic becomes another gateway for travelers from Montreal, as the Dominican Republic continues to be a popular island escape for Canadians.

Finally, the exciting link from Vancouver to Sapporo (CTS) kicks off in December, with the airline being the first North American airline to serve the popular Japanese city in Hokkaido. United Airlines is also planning to add Sapporo to its network this December.