Jet-setting from Manchester is set to become even easier, as Manchester Airport’s link to Toronto with Air Canada is set to become year‑round from this winter, with the airline set to operate flights four days per week throughout the year. Previously, Air Canada’s services stopped in October and resumed in the spring, but this year flights will depart from the Northern hub to Canada’s largest city on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The country’s flag carrier airline will join Airtransat in offering a year‑round link to Toronto – the latter runs two flights per week – meaning Manchester will have more flights to the world’s second largest country than ever before.
The increase in flights reflects strong demand for travel to Canada from the North of the UK. Last year, nearly 100,000 passengers travelled to Toronto on a direct Air Canada or Airtransat flight from Manchester – a number set to rise significantly this year following Air Canada’s move to a year‑round service – and a further 78,000 passengers flew to Toronto indirectly, via a connection elsewhere. Demand is expected to hit new heights this summer, with Toronto and Vancouver hosting World Cup matches.
As the country’s largest airport, Toronto Pearson International boasts an enviable range of connections across Canada and North America, including to airports in all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. The additional capacity this winter means it’s now easier than ever before for passengers to explore the breath-taking scenery and cultural highlights of this sprawling country.
Stephen Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re so proud of our role in connecting the North with the world, and these extra flights to Toronto – tripling the number of flights to Canada through the winter – cement our role as the region’s global gateway.
“Whether it’s for leisure, for business, or visiting friends and family, hundreds of thousands of people from our region travel to Canada every year and these extra flights will offer additional choice, opening up easier connections onwards to other parts of Canada and even the US – and also giving more Canadians a chance to discover what the North has to offer.”
Highlights to see in Canada
Toronto
Airtransat (from £440pp return) & Air Canada (from £579pp return)
There’s plenty to see and do in Canada’s metropolis – including the architecturally striking Royal Ontario Museum, boutique shopping and street eats at St. Lawrence Market, an incredible view across the city from the observation deck at the iconic CN Tower, and a bustling performing arts scene.
Ice Hockey is a staple of Canadian life and the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most successful teams in the NHL. On top of all that, you’re only an hour by car from Niagara Falls – one of the world’s foremost natural wonders.
Vancouver
Connect via Toronto with Airtransat (from £560pp return)
The biggest city on Canada’s west coast blends urban hustle and bustle with plenty of green space. Stanley Park is one of the oldest and largest urban parks anywhere in the world, incorporating scenic trails, beaches, totem poles and family visitor attractions including Canada’s largest aquarium within its almost‑1,000 acre grounds.
Downtown Vancouver offers a range of museums and galleries, a pretty waterfront and, at Christmas, one of North America’s most impressive festive markets, with more than 80 stands.
Calgary
Connect via Toronto with Airtransat (from £588pp return)
Calgary in southern Alberta is the gateway to the jaw‑dropping Banff National Park, at the heart of the Canadian Rockies. The town of Banff is less than two hours’ drive from Calgary International Airport and is the starting point for tours of some of Canada’s most scenic and dramatic wilderness.
During the winter, the region is home to some of North America’s best ski resorts. In summer, wildlife spotters can go searching for grizzly and black bears, plus elk, bighorn sheep, and marmots. Moraine Lake, with its azure waters framed by steep‑sided mountains, is globally famous and appears on the Canadian $20 bill.
Montreal
Connect via Toronto with Airtransat (from £512pp return)
Montreal is the largest city in Canada’s French‑speaking province of Quebec – and its Old Town, centred around the imposing Notre‑Dame Basilica, is one of Canada’s cultural highlights, where a tightly‑packed web of narrow streets lined with colonial‑era architecture offer a continental European feel. Quebec will also host the 2027 Canada Games, one of the largest annual Winter Sports events in the world – with 3,500 athletes competing in more than 20 sports.
Halifax
Connect via Toronto with Airtransat (from £527pp return)
Halifax offers plenty to see – like the Halifax Citadel, a star‑shaped hilltop fort dating back to the colonial era, and picturesque Victorian gardens – but the city is also the gateway to Nova Scotia and its scenic coastline. Peggy’s Cove lighthouse, around an hour to the south, is an iconic Canadian landmark, and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park is home to the Cabot Trail, one of the most impressive spots to enjoy the province’s famous autumn foliage.
St John’s
Connect via Toronto with Airtransat (from £591pp return)
Founded nearly 500 years ago, St John’s in Newfoundland is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in North America – and one of its most remote. Jutting into the North Atlantic in the far east of the country, the city is actually closer to London than it is to Vancouver, demonstrating the vast scale of Canada.
It’s known for its colourful row houses, bustling harbour and historic fortifications on Signal Hill. The waters off Newfoundland are famous for whale watching, with regular sightings of giant humpback whales.
Yellowknife
Connect via Toronto with Air Canada (from £812pp return)
Brought into the popular imagination by TV hit Ice Road Truckers, Yellowknife is the largest settlement in Canada’s Northwest Territories – a vast, sub‑Arctic tundra with highlights including polar bear spotting and a nightly show of one of nature’s most remarkable spectacles, the northern lights, through the winter months.
Aurora Village is a visitor attraction run by native Inuit people living locally, where visitors can enjoy dog sled rides, throat singing classes and traditional food, along with wildlife spotting excursions.