Air India To Launch New Canadian Route

Air India is expanding its Canadian network for the Northern Winter 2026/27 (NW26) season after cutting capacity throughout the year.

The Indian flag carrier will offer a seasonal non-stop flight between Mumbai and Toronto from 25 October 2026, operating three times a week on the Boeing 777-300ER, with service concluding on 26 March 2027.

As part of the shift, the airline has also changed its Delhi to Toronto operation so that seven of the ten weekly flights will be operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with the remaining three flights switching to the newer 787-9 in early 2027.

The Mumbai to Toronto flights will be scheduled as AI193/192 with a departure from Mumbai at 0400 for a 1000 arrival at Toronto Pearson. Returning, AI192 from Toronto at 1230 will arrive back in Mumbai the following day at 1410, all times local.

Air India’s Major 2026 Changes to Canada

While the announcement of service between Mumbai and Toronto is a step to restoring capacity to North America and Canada, 2026 has been headlined by major changes to the airline’s schedule here.

Earlier in 2026, the airline cut capacity to Canada with Delhi-to-Toronto and Vancouver flights. The reductions, per the airline, were tied to elevated fuel prices and the longer routings caused by airspace restrictions and geopolitical instability.

The higher operating costs made the margins on these routes, irrespective of demand, no longer feasible to continue operating those services; the airline reported a near-$3 billion loss for the financial year just gone despite turnaround initiatives and strong investment.

Air India has been making diligent changes to its international network throughout the year. It has, where possible, been trying to reduce disruption and cut unprofitable links while also ensuring flights meet their necessary profitability targets.

Canadian reductions through the year were not driven by collapsing demand; demand for travel between the two countries remained strong, but tougher operating conditions drove the changes more.

1 Million Seats Cut on The Network

While international flying changes have taken centre stage, the sharp pullback in service was visible in July data, with more than 1 million seats cut compared with the July 2025 network.

Despite strong investment, rising operating costs from fuel to other related expenses forced the group to make drastic changes across the mainline and express divisions, with those changes impacting domestic and international flying.

Air India Express was domestically seen to have cut around 16.8% of its seats during the month, with available seats dropping from 2.7 million to 2.2 million. Air India’s mainline operation saw international seats slashed by nearly 20%, dropping from close to 3.5 million to 2.8 million.

Competitor IndiGo, despite its own ambitious growth objectives, is making capacity cuts as pressure mounts on it even with strong demand. As a result, across both airlines, no specific route appears to be targeted on its own; rather, it is a consequence of the many challenges impacting this region, especially the vulnerable flag carrier.