Montreal Gets a Direct Istanbul Flight
Air Transat will launch a new non-stop route between Montreal and Istanbul on 29 October 2026. The year-round service will operate twice a week, adding another Canadian link to Türkiye. The launch gives Quebec travellers a new long-haul option at Montreal-Trudeau, with bookings already open.
The Montreal route will sit alongside Air Transat’s existing Toronto–Istanbul service, which operates three times a week. Together, the two routes will give the airline up to five weekly flights to Istanbul. Air Transat says this will improve access for travellers across Canada, including those starting in Halifax, Vancouver, Ottawa, Québec City, Winnipeg and Calgary.
Route details
The new service is planned as follows:
- Route: Montreal-Trudeau to Istanbul
- Start date: 29 October 2026
- Frequency: Tuesdays and Thursdays
- Aircraft: Airbus A330
- Bookings: available now
Passengers can also book onward journeys through Air Transat’s partnership with Turkish Airlines.
The new route makes Istanbul easier to reach for city breaks, family visits and longer trips. It also opens one-ticket connections through Turkish Airlines’ hub to the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Caucasus. In Istanbul itself, visitors can reach the Grand Bazaar, Bosphorus waterfront, Sultanahmet, Galata and neighbourhoods on both the European and Asian sides.
The launch gives Montreal a stronger role in Air Transat’s long-haul network and adds a second Canadian gateway for the airline’s Istanbul programme. Toronto showed demand after its route launched in 2025. Now Quebec travellers will have their own service to Istanbul, rather than starting the journey with a domestic connection.
