Air India announced late on 22 November that it has reinstated its long-dormant codeshare partnership with Air Canada, granting travellers seamless one-stop access to Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax via Vancouver, as well as Vancouver and Calgary via London Heathrow. The arrangement, suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, marks Air India’s only active codeshare with a North American carrier.
Under the deal, Air India will place its ‘AI’ designator code on selected Air Canada domestic flights, while Air Canada customers gain onward connectivity to Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi through Delhi, and to Delhi and Mumbai via Heathrow. Both airlines say the revived partnership supports rising VFR (visiting-friends-and-relatives) traffic and corporate demand following Canada’s recent cuts to temporary-resident admissions.
![Air India restores codeshare with Air Canada, boosting connectivity to six Canadian cities]()
For corporate travel managers, the benefits include through-ticketing, single-P&R bookings and interlined baggage, reducing travel-day friction for employees moving between second-tier Canadian and Indian cities. The tie-up also creates new routings for international students and IT professionals who often need to reach western Canadian technology hubs.
The agreement precedes Air India’s planned induction of ultra-long-range Airbus A350-900s, which could launch non-stop service to Toronto or Vancouver as early as winter 2026. Analysts say overlapping frequent-flyer benefits and lounge access will help both carriers defend market share against emerging Gulf competitors.
Travellers should note that seats under the codeshare are now loaded in global distribution systems for travel starting 5 December. Corporate buyers with large India–Canada volumes may wish to renegotiate fare-basis discounts to leverage the expanded network.
Under the deal, Air India will place its ‘AI’ designator code on selected Air Canada domestic flights, while Air Canada customers gain onward connectivity to Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi through Delhi, and to Delhi and Mumbai via Heathrow. Both airlines say the revived partnership supports rising VFR (visiting-friends-and-relatives) traffic and corporate demand following Canada’s recent cuts to temporary-resident admissions.
For corporate travel managers, the benefits include through-ticketing, single-P&R bookings and interlined baggage, reducing travel-day friction for employees moving between second-tier Canadian and Indian cities. The tie-up also creates new routings for international students and IT professionals who often need to reach western Canadian technology hubs.
The agreement precedes Air India’s planned induction of ultra-long-range Airbus A350-900s, which could launch non-stop service to Toronto or Vancouver as early as winter 2026. Analysts say overlapping frequent-flyer benefits and lounge access will help both carriers defend market share against emerging Gulf competitors.
Travellers should note that seats under the codeshare are now loaded in global distribution systems for travel starting 5 December. Corporate buyers with large India–Canada volumes may wish to renegotiate fare-basis discounts to leverage the expanded network.
