Top 20 Business global Routes of Air Canada

Air Canada (AC) maintains an extensive international network, commanding significant market share in the Canadian and transatlantic travel. In 2024, roughly 86% of its overall seat capacity was deployed within North America, followed by Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The airline’s main long-haul hubs: Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Montreal-Trudeau (YUL), and Vancouver (YVR), serve as global gateways, with Toronto handling the bulk of connecting traffic.

The top 20 busiest international routes, measured by monthly flights, seats, and available seat miles (ASMs), reflect Air Canada’s strategic focus. A mix of short-haul cross-border flights, transcontinental U.S. routes, and high-capacity Atlantic crossings underscores the airline’s operational priorities.

Unsurprisingly, Canada–U.S. routes dominate in terms of frequency, such as those between New York–LaGuardia and Toronto, and Los Angeles to Vancouver. However, the highest ASM totals belong to transatlantic flights led by those to London and Paris.

Photo: Clément Alloing

Busiest Routes by Monthly Flights

Air Canada operates hundreds of monthly flights on its busiest international city pairs. For instance, the New York–LaGuardia to Toronto connection sees around 320 monthly flights, reflecting intense demand between these two major cities.

The Los Angeles to Vancouver and San Francisco to Toronto routes follow closely in frequency, delivering substantial cross-border connectivity.

The transpacific and European routes do not match those flight counts, yet they remain core revenue generators for the airline. Los Angeles to Toronto, for instance, sees about 240 flights per month, providing an important link between Canada’s largest city and California.

Among the busiest international routes featuring transatlantic segments, London–Heathrow to Toronto stands out with approximately 220 monthly flights, evidence of the strong London–Canada demand corridor. Similarly, services between Chicago–O’Hare and Toronto, and Boston and Toronto, each see between 180 and 220 flights monthly. This continued flow on key U.S. routes reinforces Air Canada’s role as a North American connector.

Photo: Aero Icarus | Flickr

Capacity Insights: Seat Deployment

When looking at seat capacity, figures vary significantly across the top 20 routes. London–Heathrow to Toronto offers the most seats per month at around 76,962, driven by long-haul widebody aircraft deployed on this transatlantic route. This contrasts with New York–LaGuardia to Toronto, where about 46,019 seats are offered monthly, consistent with narrowbody aircraft on a shorter route.

Los Angeles to Vancouver, at roughly 47,551 monthly seats, serves as one of the highest-capacity short-haul routes, while San Francisco to Toronto offers over 40,000 seats as well. Routes such as Mexico City to Toronto and Atlanta to Toronto fall into mid‑range seat volumes, offering flexibility across business and leisure travel.

Long‑haul European services like Paris–Montreal and Frankfurt–Toronto also offer higher seat counts of around 54,000 and 35,400, respectively. These routes justify investment in widebody deployment given the passenger demand and revenue potential from transatlantic traffic.

Photo: KEVIN HACKERT | Flickr

ASMs: Measuring Distance and Load

Trans–Atlantic and trans‑continental services dominate ASM rankings. The London–Toronto route leads by a significant margin, with approximately 273.7 million ASMs per month, an outcome of both long distance and high frequency.

Paris–Montreal ranks next in ASM contribution, at about 185.9 million, while Los Angeles to Toronto, with around 99.4 million ASMs, also benefits from its long-haul distance despite fewer flights.

San Francisco to Toronto delivers nearly 91.5 million ASMs, while Mexico City to Toronto contributes around 40.9 million ASMs, both reflecting the increased capacity applied to longer-distance international markets.

Mid-range ASM performers like Frankfurt–Toronto, with 139.9 million ASMs, highlight growing connections to Germany, while San Francisco to Vancouver, at just over 23 million, reflects a low-aspect but frequent regional connection.

Photo: Airbus

Strategic Implications and Market Dynamics

Air Canada’s top international routes underscore a balanced approach between frequency on key U.S. markets and high-capacity long-haul services. Canada–U.S. corridors like New York–LaGuardia, Los Angeles–Vancouver, and Chicago–Toronto excel in flights and seats due to strong business and leisure demand. Simultaneously, transatlantic pairs such as London–Toronto and Paris–Montreal account for the highest ASM volume.

This structure benefits from Toronto Pearson’s status as a hub, where over one-third of passengers connect to other international and domestic destinations, and supports Air Canada’s competitive advantage on these routes. The airline’s ongoing expansion in European capacity, including new routes to Edinburgh and Naples, promises to reshape ASM dynamics further.

Recent market data indicates a growing appetite for transatlantic travel to Canada, partly driven by shifting consumer sentiment away from the U.S. Air Canada is leveraging this trend by adding 112 flights and five new European destinations, increasing its presence in this segment.

Photo: Caribb | Flickr

Bottom Line

Air Canada continues to operate hundreds of monthly flights between Canada and major U.S. and European markets while optimizing aircraft deployment for efficiency and yield. Toronto remains the central hub, enabling depth across both short-haul and long-haul segments.

Balanced between U.S. connectivity and growing European demand, the busiest international routes underscore the airline’s network priorities through 2025. With new transatlantic capacity and shifting market trends, Air Canada appears well-positioned to maintain dominance on major international corridors.

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