Air Transat To Launch Istanbul Route, Signs Interline With Turkish Airlines

Air Transat plans to launch a new nonstop service between Toronto and Istanbul this winter, marking the longest route in the carrier’s network and its most easterly destination.

The leisure airline says the year-round route connecting Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Istanbul Airport (IST) will begin on Dec. 6, operating twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays using Airbus A330 aircraft. It will become Air Transat’s furthest sector at 5,077 mi. (4,412 nm.), narrowly surpassing its existing Toronto–Athens service.

The carrier will also enter an interline partnership with Turkish Airlines, enhancing connectivity between Canada and Turkey and opening access to Turkish Airlines’ network of destinations across the Middle East, Asia and Africa via Istanbul.

The launch comes amid rising Canada–Turkey demand. According to Sabre Market Intelligence, O&D traffic between the two countries reached 330,400 two-way passengers in 2024, up 12.3% year-on-year. Toronto–Istanbul was the largest city pair, accounting for 131,700 passengers. Of those, fewer than 40% traveled nonstop, with Frankfurt, London Heathrow and Cairo serving as the primary one-stop markets.

The new route is expected to attract both Canadian leisure travelers—who have been able to visit Turkey visa-free since 2024—and members of Canada’s Turkish diaspora, a community of more than 75,000 people mainly based in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Air Transat’s move will add competition to a market currently served by Turkish Airlines, which flies 6X-weekly between IST and YYZ using Boeing 777-300ERs, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. Biman Bangladesh Airlines also operates a 3X-weekly Dhaka–Istanbul–Toronto service using 787-9s.

Additionally, Air Transat says the new flights will benefit from domestic feed through its joint venture with Porter Airlines, offering connections from Western Canada, Ottawa, Montreal and the Maritimes region.