Air Canada gets ready to launch Toronto–Rio de Janeiro service

Air Canada will soon launch seasonal Toronto–Rio de Janeiro flights this winter, part of its New Frontiers strategy to diversify global service.

“Air Canada’s approach is to diversify,” said Ana Paula De Souza, Air Canada’s director of Canadian sales, from the Regatta Room at Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle overlooking the city’s Harbourfront on Wednesday (Sept. 10). 

“As part of our New Frontiers strategy, we needed to be in every continent, everywhere. Our goal is to position ourselves as one of the top 10 carriers over the next couple years. We’re going to be flying everywhere—it’s an important strategy to us.” 

Currently, Air Canada has daily flights to Sao Paolo. 

The new Toronto–Rio service will operate three times weekly from Dec. 4, 2025, to Mar. 28, 2026, with overnight departures from Toronto on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, returning from Rio on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. 

South America focus

“We’ve been in and out of South America over the years but our strategy is to grow there. We have the right product and Toronto is the right hub, positioned to divert all domestic Canadian flights, and the US market. We also have Air Canada vacations who support any of the routes that we have,” said De Souza. 

“We have a lot of flights to Europe but there’s much more than Europe.”

Passengers will board Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners and can book seats in three tiers: Signature with personal pods, the roomy Premium Economy with extra leg room and larger seats and Economy, where Air Canada plans to provide free internet on all international flights by 2026 through Bell.

Gateway to Brazil

On arrival, passengers will land at RIOgaleão International Airport, Rio’s main international gateway.

The airport has two terminals, two independent runways and the longest one in Brazil, supporting 52 destinations and the capacity for 32 million passengers per year, along with ample shopping opportunities. 

“But the airport is much more than a place of arrivals and departures,” said Priscilla Cremer, aviation marketing executive at RIOgaleão International Airport.  

“If you fly to Rio with Air Canada, you’ll be able to visit 25 other cities in Brazil besides Rio and 27 International destinations.”  

Advisors can also promote the GaleON ecommerce platform, which offers client perks such as meet-and-greet services, personal shoppers, and other discounts.

From the airport, visitors are just a 15-minute drive to the city centre and a 30-minute drive from key destinations like the towering Christ the Redeemer statue and the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain. 

Two hours outside of the city, visitors can escape to the Ilha Grande archipelago and explore 365 tiny islands, one for every day of the year.  

Bilateral ties

“The relaunch of this route meets a growing demand from Canadian travelers for genuine and sustainable experiences. That is why we remain committed to working in partnership to strengthen this and many other connections between Brazil and Canada,” said Marcelo Freixo, president of Embratur - Brazilian Tourism Board.

“Canadians go to the US sometimes, or Cuba, and now we are living in difficult times for Canada and Brazil. And that also gives us a lot of opportunities like this new route from Canada to Rio--and I hope Canada maintains it,” said Leonardo Enge, deputy consul general of Brazil in Toronto. 

“We are expecting an increased demand for tourism from Canadians to Brazil. Discovering Brazil for Canadians is an interesting opportunity, and different from what Canadians used to do.”

Rio de Janeiro is a unique city, and state, where visitors can go hiking, swim in the ocean at Copacabana beach, experience Afro-Brazilian culture through Carnival at New Years, admire breathtaking landscapes from Sugarloaf Mountain and enjoy diverse gastronomy while learning about the impact of Portuguese colonialism and architecture.  

“Now is the perfect moment to be there,” said Leticia Santana of TurisRio, the agency representing 92 cities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. 

“We’re being led by the right government. By coming to Brazil, travel agents are supporting the best, especially since Rio is considered the gatekeeper of the country.” 

With the addition of Rio, Air Canada strengthens its South American footprint, offering advisors new opportunities to sell Brazil in 2025–26.

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