Canada’s Air Transat To Launch Toronto-Albania Service

Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat has unveiled two more new routes for its 2026 summer schedule, including launching the sole connection between North America and Tirana, Albania.

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Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat has unveiled two more new routes for its 2026 summer schedule, including launching the sole connection between North America and Tirana, Albania.

Starting June 18, 2026, Air Transat will open service between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Tirana International Airport Nene Tereza (TIA). The route will be flown 1X-weekly with an Airbus A330 aircraft.

The service will be the only nonstop route from any city in North America to Albania. Air Transat Chief Revenue Officer Sebastian Ponce said Albania is “fast becoming a standout destination on the European air travel map.”

TIA has extensive connectivity throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, but no service to the Americas or the Asia-Pacific. Wizz Air operates over 60% of the airport’s capacity, according to OAG Schedules Analyzer data.

Air Transat also revealed it will operate summer seasonal service between Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) and Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE) in France. The route will be flown 1X-weekly from June 2 to Oct. 20, 2026, with an A321LR aircraft.

NTE will be the second new route to France from YQB launched by Air Transat in the 2026 summer. The carrier previously announced it will fly from YQB to Marseille starting May 21, 2026, operating the route 1X-weekly.

In addition to launching service between Toronto and TIA, Air Transat previously announced plans to open a new route from YYZ in summer 2026 to Accra, Ghana. That route will be flown 2X-weekly from June 17, 2026.

The carrier will also increase frequencies for summer 2026 on six routes from YYZ, including bumping up service to Cancun, Mexico, from 7X-weekly to 9X-weekly. Five cities will see service from YYZ rise from 2X-weekly to 3X-weekly, including Berlin; Faro, Portugal; Istanbul; Lima, Peru; and Venice, Italy.

Overall, Air Transat will add nine new routes on its summer 2026 schedule, including eight international services, highlighted by 3X-weekly service between Ottawa and London Gatwick Airport and 2X-weekly flights between Montreal and Dakar, Senegal.

“Our summer 2026 program is the most extensive we have ever offered,” Ponce said. “It is part of a network strategy designed to maximize fleet utilization, support steady and profitable growth, and diversify our revenue streams.”

#END News

source: aviationweek