Air Transat — the notable Canadian leisure airline — recently announced an expanded schedule for next year’s lucrative summer season. The Montreal-based carrier which specializes in flights and tour packages to leisure destinations will be seeking to serve 44 destinations with over 250 flights per week at the height of summer 2022.

“We are actively rebuilding our network with a modern and versatile fleet that will enable us to meet the increased demand expected in 2022, “Annick Guérard, President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Transat, said. “We will be returning to almost all of the destinations served before the pandemic, in addition to offering Canadian travelers major new destinations.”

According to the airline, brand new flights from Montreal to Los Angeles and San Francisco — both deemed as some of its ‘major new destinations’ — will operate three times weekly and twice a week, respectively. Quebec City’s Jean Lesage Airport will also receive a nonstop service to London’s Gatwick Airport each week for the first time, in addition to thrice-weekly services to Paris.

Leveraging domestic growth also features in Air Transat’s planned summer schedule with expanded services between key Canadian markets. For the peak season, the airline is scheduled to operate fifteen weekly flights between Toronto, Canada and Montreal, along with Vancouver, Canada-Toronto and Vancouver-Montreal which are both scheduled for ten flights per week.

Air Transat had recently been the target of an attempted takeover bid by Air Canada, but this was called off earlier this year after the European Commission’s antitrust concerns.  Furthermore, the carrier’s summer 2022 schedule will not just solely include more domestic flights.

Expansion Beyond Canada

The airline will also attempt to strengthen its post-Covid-19 position from Montreal in European markets with seven flights per week to London and 14 weekly services to Paris. In addition, there will be four weekly flights from Toronto to Paris and a further fourteen services to London from Canada’s most populous city. Amsterdam will also be added to Air Transat’s network from Montreal with three services per week adding to four being operated from Toronto.

Additionally,  Air Transat bolstered its offering to cities all across Europe, operating to a total of 19 key destinations, including cities in France such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice and Toulouse. The airline’s summer schedule will include flights to Porto, Portugal; Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; Malaga, Spain; Madrid, Spain; Venice, Italy and Rome. In addition, Air Transat will also serve other key European destinations in Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland.

Popular escapes to warmer climates in the south also feature heavily in the summer 2022 schedule. Air Transat will continue to serve Fort Lauderdale, Fla; Orlando, Fla and Miami — three consistently popular, leisure destinations in the Sunshine State — in addition to several cities in Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.