Air Transat is set to debut in Brazil over the coming months, as SAS and Lufthansa reenter markets they previously withdrew from.
Montreal-Rio de Janeiro
Air Transat will launch flights to Brazil for the first time in winter 2025-26, becoming only the second Canadian airline to serve the South American country.
The leisure-focused carrier will operate Airbus A330s from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and from Montreal-Trudeau (YUL) once a week on Thursdays. Service begins in February 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
The new flights position Air Transat alongside Air Canada, which remains the only Canadian operator with direct service to Brazil. Air Canada flies year-round to Sao Paulo from both Toronto and Montreal and will open Toronto–Rio flights in December 2025. Montreal–Rio, however, is currently unserved, leaving Air Transat to capture first-mover advantage on the city pair when service begins.
According to Sabre Market Intelligence, Canada–Brazil traffic totaled 352,000 passengers in 2024, a 1.6% decline year on year. Toronto–Sao Paulo was the largest city pair, followed by Vancouver–Sao Paulo and Montreal–Sao Paulo. The addition of Rio de Janeiro could help unlock more leisure and VFR traffic, particularly from Montreal, where Brazilian diaspora demand is underserved. Montreal is host to the second-largest Latin American community in Canada.
The move is part of a broader expansion strategy that will see Air Transat introduce 14 new routes this winter and lift overall capacity by about 6% compared with last year. The airline is adding Guadalajara, Valencia, Madrid, Bordeaux and Istanbul, while also strengthening its southern leisure portfolio with seasonal flights from smaller Canadian markets such as Charlottetown, Windsor and Fredericton.
By entering Brazil, Air Transat signals it intends to compete more broadly on long-haul leisure markets beyond its traditional Europe and Caribbean strengths, testing its model in South America for the first time.
Copenhagen-Mumbai
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will reenter the Indian market after 17 years with the launch of nonstop Copenhagen–Mumbai flights.
Starting June 2, 2026, SAS will operate 5X-weekly year-round services to Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport using Airbus A330-300s. The route will be the first nonstop link between Copenhagen and Mumbai, complementing Air India’s New Delhi–Copenhagen service, which is currently the only direct connection between India and Scandinavia.
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It is understood that Mumbai has long been on SAS’ radar, but aircraft availability and the closure of Russian airspace delayed its launch. However, the airline expects relief on the fleet side in 2026, when two additional Airbus A350-900s are delivered. SAS currently has four A350s in service, deployed on long-haul routes including Los Angeles, Washington Dulles, Tokyo Haneda and its newly launched Seoul service.
The airline sees Mumbai as a valuable addition both for point-to-point traffic and for connecting flows across its Copenhagen hub. Flight times are scheduled to facilitate transfers from Scandinavia, wider Europe and North America, including New York, Boston and Toronto.
Sabre Market Intelligence data indicates that O&D traffic between Scandinavia and India totaled 335,871 passengers in 2024, up 11% from 2023, though only about 10% of those passengers traveled nonstop. Dubai, Doha and Frankfurt remain the largest one-stop gateways for this market.
Munich-Riyadh
Lufthansa will restore nonstop flights between Munich and Riyadh in October, resuming the route for the first time in eight years.
Beginning Oct. 26, the airline will operate 3X-weekly services using Airbus A350-900s, configured with 293 seats in three classes. The move adds a second Lufthansa-operated Riyadh link, joining the carrier’s existing Frankfurt–Riyadh–Dammam service.
Together with group carriers Eurowings and ITA Airways, the Lufthansa Group will soon offer 22 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia, including services to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah. Eurowings is set to operate Jeddah flights from Cologne/Bonn, Berlin and Stuttgart this winter, while ITA Airways connects Rome with Riyadh and Jeddah.
Although Lufthansa first entered Saudi Arabia 65 years ago, demand for air travel is accelerating as the kingdom pursues Vision 2030 goals, including major infrastructure development and tourism expansion. Riyadh will host World Expo 2030 and the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2034.
The addition of Munich–Riyadh also plays into Lufthansa’s strategy of leveraging its twin hubs. Munich, traditionally more leisure-focused than Frankfurt, has been steadily expanding its long-haul portfolio. By linking Riyadh nonstop, Lufthansa provides a more direct option for southern German corporates while retaining the Frankfurt rotation as a combined Riyadh–Dammam service for broader catchment coverage.
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