Air Canada will not be entering markets in the former Yugoslavia, despite earlier indications of growing interest in the region. The airline has unveiled its summer 2026 expansion plans, which instead focus on new routes elsewhere in Europe. From next year, Air Canada will launch flights from Toronto to Budapest and Palma de Mallorca, as well as from Montreal to Catania. In addition, the Star Alliance member will deploy its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft on transatlantic services from Montreal to Toulouse and Edinburgh, alongside the newly announced Palma service.
Air Canada’s leisure subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge, discontinued its seasonal Toronto–Zagreb service following the coronavirus pandemic, after retiring its wide-body Boeing 767 fleet. In 2022, the parent airline planned to take over the route, scheduling three weekly summer flights with its 297-seat Airbus A330-300. However, ticket sales were halted just weeks after their launch, and the service never materialised. In total, Air Canada had planned 54 rotations in each direction, offering 32,076 seats between the two cities. Zagreb remains connected to Toronto on a seasonal basis through Air Transat.
Air Canada has previously noted it was “looking into flights between Toronto and Belgrade”. However, despite the liberal nature of the revised bilateral Air Service Agreement between Canada and Serbia, the deal includes a restrictive clause limiting designated flag carriers to just two weekly flights, unless otherwise mutually agreed. At the same time, Air Serbia has indicated it is evaluating Toronto as part of its planned North American expansion, suggesting the route could be launched on a seasonal basis.
Dubrovnik seasonal would make most sense in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteDubrovnik 14x during whole summer makes most sense, but only on 787, not 321xlr. We dont need mass tourism from Canada, we need highly payable tourists that fly on luxurious planes and notmcattle flights.
DeleteAt least 21x! If not whole 28, don't be modest.
DeleteObviously, highly payable tourists are going to Spain and Italy
Air Canada exec said in a recent interview their demand to all Europe destinations in the south is high, from Portugal, Spain, south of France, Italy, Greece. I would not be surprised if Dubrovnik gets AC service before Zagreb, once they have more widebodies.
DeleteOnly coast is interesting to them. Who wants to visit Zagreb or other cities that are inland
Delete09:21 mock all you want but Dubrovnik is more obvious than Zagreb. In the end everyone wants to visit our beautiful coast, you have Koreans with vattle flights..
Delete09:21 mock all you want but Dubrovnik is more obvious than Zagreb. In the end everyone wants to visit our beautiful coast, you have Koreans with vattle flights..
DeleteMontreal - Dunrovnik makes sense and could materlialise
DeleteDubrovnik has an actual high yield demand.
DeleteWhy aren't there more long haul flights to Dubrovnik if there is such high yield demand? There is just one. Two other airlines that flew long haul left. One after 2 seasons, the other after a single seaaon.
Delete1st airline which operated flights to Dubrovnik ceased them because of the pandemic in 2020 and not because of low yield demand. Second airline, Delta ceased flights because they had more premium markets to fill and they were kicked by superior product offered by United. Today United remains with really strong daily service and premium product.
DeleteOk so this extrenely high yield market is served by 1 long haul route. Why aren't there more?
DeleteBecause it's relatively small market and it takes time for network to develop. Sooner or later we will see more services to US with premium configurations.
DeleteDubrovnik had seasonal summer flights to New York as far back as the 1980s. It has not moved from the one route since.
DeleteAnd others in the region went backwards with number of long haul connections.
DeleteIt still does not help your point that DBV is amazingly high yielding and it's just airlines that are blind and don't see it. It is after all a Ryanair base.
DeleteYour arguments are bullshit. Dubrovnik is in fact the only high yielding long haul market in the region because of tourists with high income who come to visit the city during summer season. Your argument about number of connections in the 80s was easily proved to be nonsensical while your argument about Ryanair is even a bigger nonsense. Existence of Ryanair does not prove that market doesn't have premium guests. It's totally unrelated and if it was unrelated we would end up with conclusions that Rome, Athens, London, Dubrovnik and Barcelona are not high-yielding while Split, Ljubljana and Timisoara are.
DeleteI do not know who you think you are to swear at me but I understand your frustration. Dubrovnik the high yielding long haul European wonder that has added net 0 long haul routes in 40 years and has 1 single long haul route 5 months a year. But it it is a very high yielding market that airlines are just dumb not to fly there.
Delete1. United Airlines flies only to Dubrovnik in this region. They recognized premium structure of passengers that visit Dubrovnik and the rest of Dalmatia, and decided to open daily service with premium configured 767-400.
Delete2. Dubrovnik added 0 new routes while everyone rest is in minus. Airlines obviously see potential in Dubrovnik while in the rest of region they don't.
3. Success of United premium service will definitely boost other airlines to open new services to Dubrovnik. American also had amazing results so it wouldn't be surprising to see them return.
As long as you are happy buddy. Single route 5 months per year with 0 local demand in the most high yielding wonder that no other airline has discovered. Everyone had amazing results yet out of 3 only 1 airline is left.
DeleteP.D UA has single configuration B767. It is the oldest plane in its fleet.
My arguments are clear and factual while you keeping nonsensical arguments. Having one long haul route doesn't prove Dubrovnik is not high-yield market for long haul, it just loves it is small market. Two airlines out of market also don't prove it isn't good performing market since non of these airlines cancelled their flights because of unsatisfactory demand. As previously explained;
Delete1. American increased its 4pw service to daily but it was stopped by pandemic.
2. Delta never wanted to operate flights for more than one season so it's not like they cancelled their service because of bad loads.
What is also a bullshit argument is about United's 767. 767 are not all equally configured and those operating Dubrovnik flights have 34 direct-aisle access Polaris business class seats while some 767s have less.
1 long haul route by 1 airline 5 months a year = extremely high yielding market. Got it.
DeleteIn comparison to the other regional markets, it is. You can repeat your argument as much as you want but these are facts.
DeleteThe fact you made up with 0 proof.
DeleteProof is success of United's service. That's the only proof you need.
DeleteStarting with the FACT that you have no clue how much money they make per passenger.
DeleteI don't need to know how much they make per passenger. And it's not like you know how much they make. However, there are some factors which show that their service is in fact premium, and that such service does not exists anywhere in the region.
DeleteUnited expanded their time of operation from 3 to 6 months (not 5 months as falsely claim) and they also increased frequency from ,3 to 7 weakly. There expansion is proof of success and proof of high yields they receive on this route. There are also many statements from United's officials they are happy with success of this service.
if Dubrovnik was not high yielding then it wouldn't have United with so much premium seats.
Extremely premium and high yielding which is why only 1 airline can make it. Remember the same comments about Zagreb Ryanair Airport which has 2 LCCs flying long haul a few months a year.
DeleteBEG has more business class seats on long haul annually than Dubtovnik so if that's your argument of high yielding you might want to find a new one.
Delete1. United Airlines is far more premium airline than any operating flights to the region.
Delete2. Dubrovnik has continuous premium service to US, ZAG never had.
3. More airlines can make it and more airlines will make it. Wait and look at success.
1. China Soithern and Hainan Airlines are significantly better airlines service and product wise than United.
Delete2. No it does not. It has flights a couple of months per year.
3. I rrally hope so. So far only 1 has. Seasonally.
1. From all airlines in the world you found Hainan and China Southern? Hilarious
Delete2. That is a continuous service.
3. You don't. Maybe it's one but it's really worthy. And successful.
1. I did, especially having flown all three. United is not even considered the best in the US. That title goes to Delta.
Delete2. No, continues would be year round.
3. I certainly do. But I will continue to call out your nonsense claims with 0 proof and a single airline flying to the magical highest yielding market of Dubrovnik.
Can the XLR make it from Toronto to ZAG/BEG?
ReplyDeleteNot without payload restrictions. Keep in mind, of all currently operating or officially announced XLR routes by any airline, they only one longer than 3500nm is upcoming IB flight MAD-SDQ.
DeleteAnd isn't cargo pretty limited on the XLR?
DeleteIt is
DeleteSurprise surprise
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia interested, Air Canada limited to 2 weekly flights and nothing happened at the end. LOL
ReplyDeleteAs lonh as that bilateral is on..
DeleteAir Serbia said at the end of March they are considering Toronto. Almost six months later, no official update from Air Serbia.
Delete@9:11 If bilateral is the obstacle, Air Canada could have asked for additional frequencies. Did they?
DeleteI think we'll see JU flying to Buenos Aires before Toronto...
DeleteBilateral obviously isnt the only thing restricting JU but also additional factors. Cost of operating into YYZ is higher compared to JFK. 2 pw isn't attractive for high yield pax that would help boost profitability and divide costs since YYZ is highly dominated by AC and it's Star Alliance partners with multiple daily options via various EU airports, which have an open skies agreement with Canada. Another factor is also the slots YYZ is offering JU and whether that works for their operations in BEG. ORD slots aren't ideal for JU and we see how that is working for them, however it is probably still better than what YYZ is offering. Meanwhile you have MIA that is very active in supporting JU launch BEG-MIA hence more word on a Miami launch compared to Toronto despite a much lower demand.
DeleteSlots and fees were not a showstopper for other Euro airlines that recenty started or announced Toronto flights like Swiss, ITA, Finnair.
Delete@11:53 All those issues existed in March when Air Serbia announed they are considering seasonal Toronto service. Obviously they wouldn't consider it if those issues were deemed insurmountable. We just have to wait to get official airline decison.
DeleteToronto-Catania makes little sense to me
ReplyDeleteTo you , not to Air Canada . Catania , Messina , Taormina , Giardini di Naxos , Syracuses , mount Etna and many others places for the canadian tourists .
DeleteBut our Dalmation coast is most brautiful
DeleteHahahahahaha
Delete+100
09:14 Concrete coast....
Delete@9:04 It's Montreal - Catania, not Toronto. Looks like AC will base XLRs at YUL for 2026, and once pilots are trained and more XLR enter the fleet, they might also base them at YYZ.
DeleteA321XLR is nice but from Toronto, once they train pilots for ETOPS, doesn't have legs beyond Nice without payload restrictions. That means no Ex Yu destinations from YYZ on XLR. As expected, they are using widebodies for other destinations such as Budapest, almost to encircle Ex Yu from ATH to BUD. That means wait a couple of years for enough widebodies to finally launch something in the Ex Yu.
ReplyDeleteI don't see the point of seasonal BUD service. Hungarian diaspora is not big enough in Canada, nor Budapest is attractive enough on summer for Canadian tourists
DeleteComplete nonsense. Budapest is crowded with tourists from faraway places like the USA, China, South Korea and Canada.
DeleteHow yes no. Most of Canadian families are planning to spend 3 weeks summer vacation in Budapest next year. Budapest is a city break destination, which means 2-4 days stay. It's not some seaside resort.
DeleteMost people in Hungary stay for about a week. People don't just visit Budapest, they also visit Lake Balaton. Many Germans and Brits go "to the seaside" there. There are many nice little resorts similar to those in Greece or Croatia.
DeleteLOL some experts here. AC is launching BUD with 787-9, not -8, and four times a week. That means demand is there. They are also adding frequency to Prague, going from current 3pw to 4pw in 2026.
DeleteAC/OS aren't really successful on the VIE-Canada market so I doubt BUD will be a stunning success.
DeleteAlso who in his right mind travels all the way from Canada to visit Balaton?! LOL
These people will visit Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Zagreb... as part of a tour.
Some people here seem to forget that the Hungarian diaspora is Canada is larger than both the Croatian and Serbian ones.
DeleteYou probably mixed Polish and Hungarian diaspora. If it would be Hungarian in numbers you are claiming, route would have been flying long ago
DeleteI haven't mixed up anything
DeleteMy guy trued to sneek Zagreb in same group as Vienna and Budapest 👀 Dubrovnik is even more obvious.
DeleteI agree that Zagreb is not on the same level as Budapest or Vienna but during summer and for the advent it is filled with Koreans, Americans and Europeans
DeleteThat's too bad :(
ReplyDeleteThey should look into Toronto - Skopje. Toronto is second largest Macedonian city after Skopje, with over 200000 in the greater metro area, plus even more than that in USA close enough to Toronto. Those people visit quite often and use various transfer points (Istanbul, Warsaw, Frankfurt etc) so it is difficult to estimate the real number but their research dept should be able to do it.
ReplyDeleteSkoplje can't even sustain year-round Frankfurt.
Delete