Air Transat Opens Toronto to Tirana Route
Air Transat has launched a new non-stop service between Toronto and Tirana, opening the first direct air link between Canada and Albania. The route gives North American travellers a simpler way to reach the Western Balkans without changing planes elsewhere in Europe. It also adds Tirana to Air Transat’s wider Summer 2026 programme, which includes several new long-haul routes.
Toronto to Tirana: What to Know
- Route: Toronto Pearson and Tirana International Airport
- Airline: Air Transat
- First Toronto departure: 18 June 2026
- First Tirana departure: 19 June 2026
- Frequency: once weekly
- Flight day: Thursdays from Toronto
- Season: until 8 October 2026 from Toronto
- Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
- Flight number: TS422 from Toronto
Toronto Pearson said more than 36,000 passengers travelled between Toronto and Tirana last year, so the route answers existing demand rather than testing an unknown market. The flight is operated by an Airbus A330-200, with Economy and Club Class, personal entertainment screens at every seat and a wide-body cabin suited to a long overnight transatlantic journey.
The new flight makes Albania easier for Canadians planning summer trips to Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër and the Albanian Riviera. It also gives better access to the wider Western Balkans, including routes onward to Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia. Tirana can now work as a starting point for coast-and-culture itineraries rather than a destination reached after a European connection.
The route gives Albania a clearer place on Canada’s summer travel map, especially for people who previously avoided the Balkans because of awkward connections. Its weekly schedule keeps it more niche than a mass-market service, but the direct flight changes the planning logic. Tirana can now be the first stop for a longer regional trip, not a detour after another European airport.
