The Canary Islands, Nonstop From Canada
Air Canada's Tenerife flights start 25 October and Air Transat adds Gran Canaria in December, giving advisors a new winter-sun option with a European flavour.
Canada’s winter-sun map gets a new corner this month. On 25 October, Air Canada launches nonstop flights from Toronto to Tenerife, which the airline describes as the only nonstop service between North America and the Canary Islands. Montréal follows on 31 October, and Air Transat adds Gran Canaria from both cities in December.
For advisors, this is a genuinely different sell from the Caribbean and Mexico: Spanish islands off the coast of Africa, with mild winter weather, volcanic scenery and a European food and wine culture, now reachable without a connection.
Air Canada to Tenerife
Air Canada is flying the route with its new Airbus A321XLR, a narrowbody with 182 seats: 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats and 168 in Economy. That makes it a premium-capable product on a route of more than 3,000 nautical miles.
According to the airline’s schedule:
- Toronto (YYZ): flight AC954, Thursdays and Sundays, departing 20:35 and arriving in Tenerife South at 09:00 the next day. Runs 25 October 2026 to 29 April 2027. The return, AC955, leaves at 10:55 on Mondays and Fridays and lands at 14:50.
- Montréal (YUL): flight AC956, Saturdays, departing 21:00 and arriving at 09:00. Runs 31 October 2026 to 24 April 2027, returning Sundays.
Airline schedules change through a season; confirm current operating days in the GDS before quoting.
Read next · Destination IntelligenceCanada, Sold From London4 min →Dimple Melwani, CEO of Tenerife Tourism, called the Air Canada connection “a strategic boost for Tenerife.”
Air Transat to Gran Canaria
Transat says it will fly weekly to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (LPA) from 12 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, with Saturday departures from Montréal and Sunday departures from Toronto, subject to regulatory approvals and slots. Sebastian Ponce, Transat’s chief revenue officer, said the island offers “the sunshine and mild climate of the Canary Islands.”
Why it matters now
Canadian travellers are already looking abroad again: a Leger survey published 8 October found plans for international destinations other than Mexico rising to 23% of fall travellers, from 15% in summer. The Canaries give that client a Europe trip with a winter-sun climate, and a premium cabin on a single-aisle aircraft gives advisors a business-class product to sell from Toronto.
The islands are also an easy add-on. Clients can pair Tenerife with mainland Spain or Portugal on a separate connection, or combine Tenerife and Gran Canaria by inter-island ferry or flight.
For advisors
- Pitch: repeat Caribbean and Mexico clients looking for something new, Europe lovers who want warmth in January, and hikers drawn to volcanic terrain.
- Book: Signature Class early on the Thursday and Sunday Toronto flights; with only 14 lie-flat seats per departure, premium inventory is thin.
- When: the full season runs late October to late April, with Gran Canaria from mid-December.
- Watch: schedule changes on the Montréal route, and Transat’s final regulatory approvals.