Air Transat Returns To Germany After Decade-Long Absence

Air Transat plans to introduce the only nonstop connection between Canada and Berlin during the summer 2025 season.

The route between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) will become the airline’s first service to Germany since 2014, when it offered flights to Frankfurt from both Calgary and Vancouver.

Operations to Berlin will be twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays from June 19 through Oct. 24. Air Transat plans to deploy Airbus A321LR aircraft on the 4,041-mi. (3,511-nm) sector.

“This new route aligns with our revenue diversification strategy by targeting an important yet underserved market,” says Transat Chief Revenue Officer Sebastian Ponce. “It also leverages our A321LR aircraft, enabling us to offer a high-quality inflight experience, as well as our joint venture with Porter, which connects the German capital to several major Canadian cities.”

Toronto currently has four nonstop connections to Germany, with Air Canada flying to Frankfurt and Munich, and Lufthansa and Condor each offering service from Frankfurt. In total, there are about 10,000 two-way weekly seats across the routes.

According to Sabre Market Intelligence data, Berlin was the largest unserved market in Europe from Toronto in 2023, with approximately 36,000 two-way passengers traveling indirectly between the cities during the year. As well as capturing this traffic, Air Transat will also offer connections via YYZ to destinations including Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver through its partnership with Porter.

BER CEO Aletta von Massenbach says the addition of the Toronto-Berlin route is an “important step” in expanding the airport’s long-haul offering. The airport has nine long-haul connections at present, including Hainan Airlines’ flights from Beijing Capital International Airport and Norse Atlantic Airways’ service to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Air Transat’s planned addition of Berlin follows the announcement in late November that the carrier will begin flights to Valencia, Spain, during summer 2025. Flights will begin on June 20, operating weekly until Oct. 3. Valencia will become the fourth city in Spain to be served by the airline alongside Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga.

Additionally, Air Transat plans to increase frequencies on several other routes next summer, including expanding Toronto-Amsterdam from 4X to 7X-weekly; Quebec-Paris from 4X to 5X-weekly; and Montreal-Orlando from 6X to 10X-weekly.