Air Canada Expands Billy Bishop U.S. Service

Air Canada will significantly expand service at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) starting spring 2026, launching nonstop transborder routes to New York‑LaGuardia, Boston‑Logan, Chicago‑O'Hare and Washington‑Dulles with four, three, two and one daily return flights respectively. The routes will operate under Air Canada Express and be flown by regional partner Jazz Aviation on overhauled 78‑seat De Havilland Dash 8‑400 (Q400) turboprops, with New York service slated to begin March 29, 2026 and additional U.S. routes rolling out into June and July 2026. The expansion is tied to a new U.S. Customs & Border Protection pre‑clearance facility at Billy Bishop, and Air Canada says the program nearly doubles capacity at YTZ from roughly 12 to 25 daily departures; services to Montréal and Ottawa will also see increased frequencies beginning January 2026. PortsToronto and federal officials welcomed the added downtown connectivity, and the move puts Air Canada in direct competition with Porter Airlines while complementing the carrier's hub operations at Toronto Pearson.