Air Canada has begun nonstop service from Toronto Pearson to Tenerife South, the first direct flight between North America and Spain's Canary Islands. Montreal service follows a week later, and Air Transat plans its own Canary Islands routes starting in December. Travelers planning winter sun trips should check the schedules below, since these routes are seasonal and the details could change.
How the Toronto and Montreal Routes Work
Air Canada is flying the route with the Airbus A321XLR, a long-range narrowbody jet. Smaller aircraft like this let airlines test niche routes that might not fill a larger widebody plane. Toronto flights leave on Thursdays and Sundays at 8:35 PM and land in Tenerife the next morning, a flight of about nine hours. The return trip departs Tenerife on Mondays and Fridays and arrives back in Toronto in the mid-afternoon.
Montreal-Trudeau service starts on October 31, with one flight a week. Departures from Montreal leave on Saturday nights, and the return flight leaves Tenerife on Sunday mornings. Both routes operate seasonally and are expected to run until the end of the Northern Hemisphere winter, with final flights around late April.
Air Transat's Gran Canaria Flights
Air Transat, a leisure-focused carrier, will be the next to offer nonstop service to the Canaries. It plans weekly flights from Montreal and Toronto to Gran Canaria's Las Palmas airport beginning in early December, using the Airbus A321neo. Air Canada will be the only North American carrier serving the islands for a few weeks before Transat's flights start. Gran Canaria will be Transat's fifth Spanish destination, after Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona and Valencia.
What Travelers Should Keep in Mind
Because all of these routes are seasonal and recently announced, schedules may shift before departure, so confirm flight times and days directly with the airlines before booking. Overnight flights of this length can leave travelers tired on arrival, and planning a rest day can help. The new service gives Canadian travelers another option for escaping the cold months, though fares and availability have not been included in the schedules published so far.