Air Canada Will Announce 5 New Destinations On Thursday, But You Can Read Them Here First

Air Canada will announce five destinations for summer 2027 on September 3. It has already told us where it is going. United recently gave us clues for their 10 new destinations and American teased the new dots on its route network. Readers of this blog knew most of American’s plan before it was announced. Here, Air Canada provided a video with clues. And they’ve done a pretty good job of revealing the actual destinations. I’m fairly confident I’ve gotten all five out of the Norwegian license plate; Swiss cross; Nigerian colors; child carrying a dragon; and the employee named Clare. The 5 new destinations appear to be: Oslo Basel Dubrovnik Shannon Lagos Air Canada calls this a “major Summer 2027 network expansion” and is running a contest offering two tickets to one of its five new destinations. The teaser was filmed at Toronto Pearson airport and ends with a boarding pass that reads “From Toronto,” dated June 2, with flight number AC2027. That could be telling us all five routes originate in Toronto. I’m not making a firm bet there. But the destinations seem clear (and Montréal is plausible for some of them, Air Canada’s new A321XLRs are slated to operate across the Atlantic from both Toronto and Montréal). The 5 Destinations Air Canada Is Hiding Oslo, Norway. At about 24 seconds into the video, a baggage tug carries a green license plate reading “DA 20027.” Norway uses green plates on commercial vehicles, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration assigns DA to Oslo. The otherwise-odd number “20027” contains 2027. Basel, Switzerland. The airport x-ray reveals shows a large white Swiss cross. Air Canada already serves Zurich and Geneva, leaving Basel as the logical ‘new’ Swiss destination. Air Canada Cargo has also operated Toronto – Basel, so the airline knows the market and its pharmaceutical cargo demand. Lagos, Nigeria. A traveler wears a green shirt and white cap which are the colors of Nigeria’s flag. The video pivots to a map focusing on Africa. Air Canada announced in August that it intends to begin Lagos service in 2027. This looks to me like Toronto – Lagos on a Boeing 787-9. Dubrovnik, Croatia. A child wears a red-and-white checker pattern and carries a large black-and-red dragon. The checkerboard suggests Croatia and the dragon points to Dubrovnik’s role as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. Shannon, Ireland. A flight attendant’s name badge is isolated in close-up: “C. CLARE.” Shannon Airport is in County Clare. A few seconds later there is also a conspicuously displayed duty free shopping bag, and Shannon opened the world’s first airport duty free shop in 1947. That’s exactly the kind of geeky clue I expect from Air Canada. The only thing that gives me pause is that I believe Air Canada previously operated Toronto – Shannon, so this would technically be a resumption of service rather than a ‘new destination’ as such. Oslo, Basel, Dubrovnik and Shannon are thin transatlantic markets suited to Air Canada’s new Airbus A321XLR. Lagos requires a widebody and has enough passenger and cargo demand for a Boeing 787. If I were going further out on a limb I’d expect the European routes would be summer seasonal and may not all be daily. Lagos seems likely three times weekly to start. Why Guatemala City Doesn’t Make Sense To Me Live and Let’s Fly reaches four of the same conclusions but selects Guatemala City instead of Lagos. There is a “GUA” in the video. But Guatemala City is already an Air Canada destination. The airline began Montréal – Guatemala City service in October 2025, and it is now selling Toronto – Guatemala City as well. The possible reference to GUA appears among labels on a cargo container that also include Miami, Hong Kong, Paris and Doha. Miami, Hong Kong and Paris are obviously not new Air Canada destinations. Other Destinations I’m Rejecting Doha is the strongest alternate. DOH appears several times on the cargo container, and Air Canada ended its previous Toronto – Doha service in 2023. A return is conceivable. But DOH is presented beside several airport codes that cannot be answers. And it would seem an odd time to restart Doha service unless they were literally being paid by the Qatari government to fly. Guangzhou has been suggested based on the rapidly changing destination board, the dragon and the broad map of Europe, Africa and Asia. But the destination board cycles through numerous things, while the dragon is paired with Croatian checks. There is no other clear China clue. Ljubljana could be an alternative to Dubrovnik. The dragon is Ljubljana’s city symbol, and that is more direct than a Game of Thrones reference. But that wouldn’t explain the red-and-white Croatian checker pattern. Topics on this page